


Never Have I Ever

by SchmetterlingMaus



Category: Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: Alpha-to-Omega, Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Blood and Torture, Body Modification, Branding, Drugged Sex, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mental Instability, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Objectification, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Nigel, Psychological Torture, Rape, Situational Humiliation, Suicidal Thoughts, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-08-05 17:25:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16371917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SchmetterlingMaus/pseuds/SchmetterlingMaus
Summary: While playing a drinking game, Nigel learns a very serious secret about his drunk best friend Wally. In this day and age, it's very dangerous to be an alpha who likes bending over for other alphas.





	1. Chapter 1

In the wee hours of morning the frat party finally started thinning. The music was at a tolerable level, allowing for comfortable conversation instead of the shouting that commenced earlier. Beer bottles and red solo cups littered every flat surface. Their frat house was trashed. 

Nigel stood in the kitchen with his arms folded. It’d become the center of migration. He took in the conversation and the scent of his frat companions, all except Lizzy who was visiting from the neighboring sorority.

“I have a party game! _Never-have-I-ever_. Everyone loves playing it.” Lizzy said. Her red hair was pulled into a cheerleader ponytail high on her head. It bounced with even the smallest movement. Her height and interest in cheerleading had toned her curves. 

“That’s a kid’s game.” Hoagie stood beside Nigel. After junior high, the engineer had grown in height and width in the shoulders, losing all his baby fat. Given his temperament, Nigel expected him to stay unpresented; a beta.

Hoagie didn’t. In fact, his entire sector presented alpha. It was a gender with the best opportunities. He hadn’t expected anything less from Abby and Wally. Kuki, he thought would be omega, but the crazy kid was an alpha.

“Then let’s play the adult version. No questions are off the table. You want to know, you ask,” Lizzy leaned across the island table as she tried to convince the small group of childhood friends.

“If you still have never-evers on your list, you ain’t living,” Abby stated. Her black hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She was on the women’s volleyball team and wore the little tank top with the school name. She checked her watch, indicating she was pretty much done for the night. 

“No, I’m serious. I have some good ones, and I don’t want to go home yet. I want to keep riding this really nice buzz,” Lizzy said with a slight, nasally whine. Her gray eyes locked on Nigel with a wink. “We might learn something really cool about each other.”

She was cute, and her omega pheromones were calming. Her cheeks were rosy, and her lips were still pink from her lipstick. Despite the late hour, she looked ready to go.

“I’m not ready to sleep yet, so I guess I’m in.” Kuki sidled up next to the island. Her black hair was in a thick braid and she still had her cat-eyed glass on. She wore a green tank top stretched over her large breasts. 

“Okay, Lizzy. I’m in. Let’s see what you got.” Wally sidled up to the island table next to Kuki. There was something utterly gorgeous about Wally, something another alpha shouldn’t have noticed. 

Those large, emerald green eyes sparkled with humor. His head was shaved on the sides, but the top portion was long and heavily knotted in an elaborate Viking braid that went all the way down to his lower back. He had an industrial ring in his right ear and wore tiny diamond earrings in both ears. 

He was two inches shorter than Nigel, making him exactly six-foot-one. He was lean from swimming, martial arts, archery and street fighting. His hair-trigger temper never went away. 

Nigel fought the overwhelming desire to take charge and order Wally off to bed with a water bottle to nurse. “You sure you’re up for another drink, mate?”

Wally raised an eyebrow. A few buttons had come undone from his button down, exposing his strong, warmly tanned clavicle. “I’m not passed out yet. I can go another round.”

God. It was so taboo being this attracted to another alpha. He was going to hell for this.

Or worst…

“Well, if we’re going to do this,” Abby said, laying out fresh beers, but she paused for a second, looking over Wally’s entire frame. “You aren’t one beer away from liquor poisoning, are you?”

Wally took the beer from her and winked. “I’m not legless. Wine! Now, that is a drink that gets me pissed.”

“You’re pretty drunk, kid, but I ain’t your house momma so you do you little boo.” Abby teased with a nudge of her shoulder against his.

“Okay, I’m going first,” Lizzy said. She braced herself, hips against the counter and eyes vibrantly sparkling. She took every single person in with a knowing smile. “Never have I ever dated someone of the same sex and second gender.”

Wally took a drink. Nigel didn’t miss the wink Wally threw at Kuki’s open shock. Ribbing aside, the game kept going, but Nigel felt numb. He caught the raised eyebrow look from Abby. Clear as day, alphas didn’t date alphas. It was unheard of. Morally wrong. A behavior that would get a person thrown into an adjustment camp.

“Never have I ever driven drunk,” Abby said. Everyone but Abby took a drink and she got ribbed for giving such a weak game play.

“Never have I ever snorted cocaine,” Kuki said. Wally and Hoagie drank, sharing a laugh that said they’d done it together and it wasn’t a story they were going to tell.

“Hey, a drinking game! I’m in,” Cody entered the room with Abram and Joe. Only Cody was a patron of the frat house. The guys brought fresh drinks to the table.

“Never have I ever passed out from drinking,” Nigel said. Kuki, Lizzy and Hoagie drank, the three lightweights. 

“Never have I ever had a one-night stand,” Hoagie said. Everyone drank on that one.

“Never have I ever made a home sex tape,” Wally said. Abram drank. So did Kuki. There was a great deal of ribbing again. 

“Okay, I have one,” Lizzy said. She swayed now, forced to hold onto the island table for balance. “This one is good. You’ll really like this. Never have I ever let someone knot me.”

Wally tilted his head. His adams-apple bobbed as he emptied his bottle, then slammed it a little too clumsily on the countertop. He looked almost pleased, or relieved. It was very difficult to tell. “Looks like I’m out.”

The room was silent. Nigel’s fingertips went numb and his stomach fluttered at the implication. Holy shit! That just happened. Wally just admitted to bottoming for alphas and that was no small feat, considering only omegas had the elastic mating channels to keep the knots from tearing at the muscles. 

And…..

The sudden image of Wally in an omega mating pose with his butt in the air made him hard as an iron rod. He could cut glass with what pressed against the zipper of his jeans. He quickly took a nervous drink before realizing what he did, but no one noticed, not even Wally who only stared at his empty bottle.

Fuck! This was real. 

And the room seemed to take a collective breath as they all came out of their stupor at the same time. 

“Did you just admit to being a knot-boy?” Abram’s brass comment was made louder by the pure silence in the kitchen.

“Wally—” Cody spoke with surprising concern for a jock as he shook his head. It was clear the man wanted to say more but didn’t.

Kuki laughed uncontrollably. “Oh-My-God! Wally! You’re so drunk you don’t even know what you drank to.” 

Wally barely glanced at him before he took in the rest of the room. “I know damn well what I just drank to and I don’t regret it.”

“No fucking way! There is no way your body can take a knot. How would that even work?” Joe asked.

Everyone started talking over each other. The questions were flying, but Abby and Hoagie threw Nigel a look that he could interpreted as _Holy Fuck, what now?_ Knotted sex between alphas was a crime.

“Wait! So how the fuck did that work? Like, there’s a story. I want to hear that story. Were you held down? Raped?” Joe asked.

“Too dark! Too dark, man!” Lizzy said. “Besides, I can’t really see anyone making Wally do what he doesn’t want to do. God, back in high school, he was always in detention. They had to threaten his spot on the football team to get him to behave.”

“Come on, seriously. What the hell happens in an alpha’s life that gets them to bend over and present like a knot-boy? That’s not common,” Abram pushed.

Wally’s chin dropped for a second, his cheeks brightened. The drinking was catching up to him. When he looked up again, his attention held Nigel’s for a second. His expression was unreadable. “Not great. Bled for weeks. Thought I had a rip, but like hell I was going to the hospital for this.”

Nigel had seen that look before, but he couldn’t depicter what Wally wanted from him. The sadness was so brief. Not for the first time in his life did he want to kiss that look right off his best friend’s face.

“Wally?” Josie poked her head into the kitchen. She was a tiny, little omega from their science class. “We’re going skinny dipping. Want to come?”

“Peace!” Wally moved out of the kitchen. There was no reason to believe he’d remember any of this tomorrow. 

The problem was Cody, Abram and Joe were not as close to Wally as the rest of them were. They didn’t have a reason to keep this private.

“I want to see his ass. I wonder if his muscles are totally blown now,” Abram said. The medical major had turned twenty-one earlier that month and was officially the second oldest in the kitchen. 

“Listen. He’s drunk. He has no idea what he just said.” Disaster control was almost secondary in his nature as leader. He was used to having to fix situations, but it’d never felt overwhelmingly dangerous like it was now.

Wally practically signed his own confession papers for conversion therapy. 

“Mum’s the word, big daddy, but that boy one-hundred percent knows what he drank to,” Lizzy giggled into her drink. 

The tension was so tight it could be sliced with a knife. Nigel drew his hand down his shirt. He was putting too much stalk into his imagination. The initial shock was wearing down, leaving him with a heady and undesirable amount of curiosity. He didn’t know any alpha willing to take a knot, since their rectums weren’t elastic like an omega’s. Their bodies weren’t made to stretch.

And Wally said he’d bled badly for it. Maybe it was a onetime deal.

He started to imagine the _lusty_ side of Wally; pressing back against this faceless alpha. It would be thick and long cock, meant to reach all the way back into a sweet omega uterus. The muscle would be forced to succumb to the bulging knot. He pictured Wally’s tight anus muscles latched around his knot and his cock jerked.

Okay, such a wrong direction for his thoughts, especially towards his best friend. 

“Nigel, we gotta talk.” Abby dragged him from the kitchen with her nails digging into his skin. “Drunk or not, he meant it, Nigel. If it gets out and the authorities get wind, they’ll send him to a camp for evaluation. He isn’t agreeable when he’s angry. You can’t trust him to keep his own mouth shut if he’s questioned.”

“I know, Abs. I’m a little shook here.” God, he really wished there was one less beer in his system. All that hindsight shit. It didn’t matter now because thinking was what he needed to do the most of and it almost felt impossible. 

And he was so damn cocky about it! The prat practically purred. It was the wrong notch on an alpha belt. 

“If he wanted to get this off his chest, the idiot went about this all wrong.” She shook her head, which made her hair sway. She’d always be the nurturer in their group, even with her tough as nails persona. She pushed a fingertip into his shoulder. “He said this for your benefit.

“He was drunk. Really drunk. He needs to be in bed,” Nigel glanced back at the kitchen and saw Cody texting despite the rest of the kitchen patrons being knee deep in a very uncomfortable conversation. He should be in there trying to dissolve any farther questions. 

She shook her head and chuckled darkly. “That kid was always going to do things his way, even if it meant breaking every bone in his body to prove a point.”

Nigel rubbed at his temples. He needed water; something to dilute the drunken chaos in his head. “He’s not going to remember what he said in the morning and with any luck, no one else will either.”

Abby cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. “What are you, five? You really believe that fantasy you’re feeding yourself? This is an opportunity. You need to put that torch to rest.”

“Two alphas living in fear of the government? That’s hardly living. I’m not going to risk getting my balls loped off because I couldn’t control my libido.” That wasn’t the worst of the stories he heard. Several alphas were giving lobotomies and dropped off at brothels. Despite the medical procedure, an alpha’s rectum wasn’t meant for a knot and their bodies were destroyed quickly. 

“But you admit you’re interested.” She pressed. The gleam in her mischievous brown eyes said she already knew the answer. 

“Of course, I’m interested. I’ve always been interested, but I’m not crazy. Do you know what would happen to us if we got caught? Conversion therapy isn’t a joke.” There was a good reason to be afraid. 

“He just took that risk letting you know,” she said. 

He rolled his eyes. Her alpha-sensitive nose could probably smell his full interest. God. He didn’t need a bloody greenlight! Because Lord knows, he would take it. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Thank you!” she nearly growled, giving his shoulder a rough pat before heading back into the kitchen. Her voice carried. “Alright! Finish your beer and get to bed! You’re all drunk as skunks and need a shower.” 

Every muscle in Nigel’s body was stiff as he made his way to the back porch. The veranda had a vine plant growing on it, blocking the view of the hot tub from where he stood. He listened to the soft voices. The girls were laughing. 

He came into view of the small group. Josie’s body moved, grinding herself down onto Wally and it only took a second for him to realize they were in the middle of copulation. He turned his back, ready to walk back in, then stopped. 

“Wally, we need to talk in the morning, privately before you head out for school,” he warned. It’s not like he hadn’t seen Wally naked before. They were best friends. They showered together after gym class for the last nine years, but at that moment, knowing what he now knew, he felt more than appreciative, and that was a problem. 

“Sure, Nigel.” Wally said.

 

oOo

 

Nigel finished getting dressed and checked the time on his mobile. Wally’s first class would start in forty minutes, which meant there was no way his best friend was still at the house. He’d barely slept, completely consumed with Wally’s comment and there was no reason at all to think Wally would remember anything from last night, let alone a simple request for an early morning meeting.

He grabbed the handle of his door and yanked it open, unceremoniously hard, startling Wally. He looked good, which was weird given the late night. 

Wally dropped his hand to his side. “You wanted to see me, boss?” 

The inside joke didn’t calm Nigel’s growing nerves. He stepped to the side and shut the door behind Wally to keep the conversation private. Despite having always been close friends, Wally looked nervous. He played with edge of his sweatshirt before shoving his hands into his pockets. 

It was best to get this over with, so he could focus on his studies.

“Wally—” He shifted uncomfortably. Exhaustion creeped back; bone deep. “That thing you drank to back in the kitchen last night, it was really unexpected, especially for an alpha.”

Wally sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. His spunkiness dissipated now that it was just the two of them. “I know. I shouldn’t have dropped the ball like that.”

“When did you? I mean…. It’s not my business, but I just don’t see how an alpha even gets themselves in that predicament to begin with. The risk alone… was it really worth it?” And there should have been signs that Wally was into that stuff, right? Wally was his best friend. If anyone should’ve known his best friend was into alphas, it should have been him.

And what would he have done with that information? 

He can’t date Wally. What kind of life would they have constantly afraid of being found out. Which is something Wally should be worried about now, since he let the cat out of the bag.

But his friend only looked mildly embarrassed, not nearly as worried as he should be. 

Wally laughed and shrugged, good-naturedly. “My senior year with the captain of the football team. We were butting heads pretty hard during the season and it led into fighting. Coach wasn’t having it so we got stuck running extra laps. We were the last ones at school and one thing lead to another. I don’t know. I just remember thinking, this was crazy and then I stopped thinking because it felt really nice to have—”

He cut himself off when his cheeks turned pink. He dropped eye contact for a second before looking back up at him. 

“You announced that to a fairly large group las night, Wally. I trust our team, but please tell me you haven’t told that to anyone else.” Nigel said. He really didn’t want to become a hitman, and something inside him said he might be pressed to go that far if he thought Wally was in danger.

Wally’s dark green eyes took him in as he tilted his head ever so slightly. “I don’t think the two alphas I slept with are going to be nearly as quick to say something, so no, I think everything is okay.”

Nigel nodded, feeling more rattled than he had the right too. The thought that two alphas now had a chance to sleep with his best friend bugged the hell out of him. He tried to shake it, but he ached to rip the throats out of these alphas.

“Are we good?” Wally asked after a long moment of silence. 

Not really. He was still jealous as hell that his best friend was sleeping with someone who was not him and still, he couldn’t just admit it in the quiet of his room with the one person he trusted the most. “You said you slept with an alpha your senior year. When… when did you sleep with the other alpha?”

Wally shifted nervously again. “A couple months ago. I met these alphas who run a fairly unground operation for certain needs and uh, yeah. I didn’t go with any expectations, and I didn’t know I’d get what I did. So anyway, are we done here?”

“Wait. You said a couple of months back. That wasn’t when you left the house for your rut, was it?” He was starting to recall the oddness now. 

A couple months back, their inner circle had noted that the situation was weird. Abby had seen the bruised bitemarks on Wally’s shoulder and for the following couple of weeks, Wally hadn’t gone swimming or walked around the house without a shirt. 

Wally’s attention drifted up towards the ceiling. “Look, I don’t want things to be weird. I know you’re a pretty upstanding citizen. Most alphas are—”

“You think I’m bugged because you chose to let some random alpha knot you? Even after you admitted that you bled for weeks the first time you got knotted?” Okay, that really did bug him. Bugged him so much more than it should, because he wasn’t so straight-laced and the last thing he needed was for his best friend to make it so damn easy to cross the room, catch him by the back of his head and pull him into a kiss. 

That very thought made the blood flow south. Crap!

“What is it then?” The million-dollar question sat heavy in the air. Wally looked expectant. 

Nigel shook his head. It was right there. On the Tip. Of. His. Tongue. 

And he just couldn’t say it. “I’m not comfortable with you damaging your body like this.”

Wally threw his head back and laughed. “Don’t buy into that propaganda about alpha-alpha relationships. I’m fine. I’ll leave it at that.”

He caught Wally’s arm when his friend tried to walk around him. “I’m serious, Wally. This is dangerous times and you’re gambling your life if the government catches up with you.”

Wally shrugged out of his hold and patted him on the shoulder. “Then I’ll be like the thousands of others who died being true to themselves.” 

He let Wally walk right out of his room.

Everything inside him said he missed his opportunity to kiss his best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re lucky you weren’t put in the hospital. I can’t believe you went alone after I strictly forbid it,” Cody’s southern lint stopped Nigel in his tracks.

He strained to hear the conversation, but it was nearly hushed. Wally’s answer was a low growl followed with something Nigel had heard on enough occasions when he reprimanded his _retriever_. “I can handle myself. I’m not a pup.”

“You make stupid decisions like a pup.” Hushed. Angry.

A drawer slammed shut, but Wally’s voice remained surprisingly quiet. “Then let me make this clear. You can’t tell me what to do.”

Nigel walked into the kitchen and both parties glanced over at him before Wally angled away, yanking the freezer open. That split second was all he needed to see of the bruise forming under Wally’s left eye and his split lip.

“Got into another fight?” Nigel folded his arms and leaned against the counter. 

Wally didn’t answer, and Cody sipped at his drink, attention going from Nigel to Wally who continued digging ice out of the ice box and throwing it into his sandwich bag. It became clear that his retriever had every intention on waiting out the situation.

Cody finally sighed and kicked away from the counter. “Goodnight gentlemen. I have a paper to write.”

Nigel gritted his teeth to keep from ordering the psyche major to stay. He wanted to know why Cody felt entitled to order Wally around.

“Wally.” Nigel softened the order. He strained his hearing, listening to the staircase creak as Cody retreated upstairs. A small part of him was grateful that the alpha psychologist wasn’t a typical alpha who felt he had to stake his territory. 

Unfortunately, Wally was a typical alpha. His feet were positioned so his bodyweight was even and ready to move quickly. He was clearly out fighting, and that pent-up energy remained.

Wally turned and faced him, before putting the ice bag against his face. The knuckles on both his hands were cracked from fighting. Question remained; where did he go that Cody felt strongly against? 

“Are you and Cody together?” He asked.

“No!” The answer came too quick and too sharp. Wally gritted his teeth and glared, defiant. 

“What happened tonight? Where did you go?” Boy, he had a lot of questions that could follow, but he forced himself to stop.

Wally shook his head. Those emerald green eyes sparkles with an inner fire. “I don’t need a babysitter, Nigel. You know that.”

“Where did you go?” He repeated the question as he squared his stance. An all-alpha team only worked when there was an apex alpha to keep the others in line. He’d prove his status over and over to Wally, as many times as he had to, and boy did Wally often push those buttons with him. 

“I was out hustling pool. I get bored,” he huffed, breaking eye contact. 

It was a small win. One that proved he wouldn’t have to wrestle Wally to the ground and prove his dominance. 

Nigel tilted his head and sniffed the air. It was faint, but he could smell the cigarette smoke and liquor that lingered on his hitter’s clothing. It’d been three weeks since Wally made that statement about being a knot-boy. For three weeks, he’d been utterly consumed with his gorgeous, blond haired, green eyed best friend bending over for alphas.

“So this bar fight was over a cue game?” He tried to keep the disbelief from his tone. He was more concerned that his best friend might have propositioned the wrong person. He couldn’t draw a better conclusion on why Cody had a dog in this fight.

Wally threw his head back and laughed. “The guy didn’t like losing two hundred dollars. What can I say? I have a talent for winning.”

Nigel rolled his eyes. This jock persona he could deal with better than the defensive, hair-trigger temper persona, which he suspected with enough beers, is exactly what started the fight. 

“It’s really late, Wally. Go to bed,” Nigel softly ordered. He was more than relieved when Wally didn’t argue. Instead, his best friend shuffled out of the room with a sigh of relief. 

Wally could be as relieved as he wanted, but this wasn’t over.

 

oOo

 

Nigel kept glancing at his watch as the law professor rattled on about the era some laws came into place, the importance of said laws and the complete destruction of civilization when laws weren’t obeyed. He’d stopped paying attention at the get-go. 

To be fair, he’d stopped paying attention last week when Wally came come with a bruised eye from gambling at pool. For two days, everything seemed normal, until he came home from another fight while playing darts, same story. That time, there were too many witnesses present so Wally didn’t get a cornered lecture from Cody.

But he still couldn’t figure out where Cody came into play. They hadn’t known their frat brother for longer than a couple semesters and he was pretty sure he’d have noticed if Wally was in a relationship. No. There wasn’t a relationship, because Cody had seemed as surprised as the rest of them when Wally blurted out his extremely dangerous confession.

Damnit! He was fuming again. 

“Don’t forget your papers are due next Monday and people, we’re not children so do keep the font appropriate size,” Professor Atwood said. 

Abby leaned up against the wall, backpack strap over one shoulder and mobile in the other, waiting when he exited. She nudged her head for him to follow but didn’t bother talking until they were almost alone in the long hallway. They crossed out the double doors that lead to the balcony that looked out over the campus.

This northside exit gave a great view of the field where the football team practiced. His eyesight was good, but not good enough to pick out the details. The only reason he could tell Wally apart, was that Wally was surprisingly leaner than the rest of the men on the team. It wasn’t entirely a secret that his aggression landed him a spot on the team.

“Do you see the problem?” Abby asked.

Nigel stared harder at the field. “I need binoculars.”

Abby shook her head and started walking. Annoyance burned off her aura like a space heater. “I thought you should know that Cody’s been hanging out at Wally’s practices. Every. Single. One. Of them.”

The hackles on the back of his neck rose. Cody obviously wasn’t poaching. He hadn’t signed on with an agency. His interest in Wally, however, concerned him. 

“I’ll check it out,” he promised as he parted ways with Abby. 

Clearly, something was going on between Cody and Wally. He didn’t like being lied to. Worst was the jealousy. It was brainless pining for something completely inappropriate, like wanting a personal relationship with his hitter. 

Every minute it took to get from the school to the field, he counted down with reasons why it would never work between the two of them; but then he saw Cody sitting in the bleachers, texting and all he thought about was winning this. It was a primal way to feel, often reserved for alphas trying to win omegas. 

“Who are you texting?” Nigel settled beside Cody. It took everything he had to swallow his anger. He glanced out at the field where Wally played in full gear, too engrossed with practice to notice the new watcher. 

Cody frowned as he leaned back, setting his mobile face down. “That’s a fairly personal question, considering we’re hardly friends.”

“Wally has officially been assigned to my unit, which means he’s my responsibility. Everything you’re doing right now constantly throws red flags.” Especially now that Wally let the cat out of the bag. That little confession might have cost him something. “So again, who are you texting? Why are you constantly observing my retriever?” 

“I’d be more concerned how people might see this. You’re acting—”

“Concerned.” Nigel cut him off.

Wally tackle one of his own people. They went down hard and bounced right back up as if the force meant nothing. This trait would benefit Wally’s future. He was a chaser. He was a fighter. He was the perfect retriever. 

“Overly protective. He’s an alpha, not an omega. He doesn’t need you walking around behind him screening the people he knows.” Cody smirked as he watched the field. 

“You’re avoiding my question. What are you doing here?” Nigel tried again, half tempted to pry Cody’s phone from his fingers and check for himself. It wouldn’t be difficult. Cody’s degree in psychology kept him out of the physical education classes, which meant, he wasn’t trained to fend off an attack.

“You can chill, Nigel. I understand you’re worried. I’m worried too, okay.” Cody’s admittance surprised him. There was no body posturing that bespoke a lie. With his sunglasses on, Nigel couldn’t see if his eyes dilated, but he took it for what it was; the truth. 

“Pardon my cynicism, but you really aren’t a part of our inner circle so why are you making this personal?” Again, jealousy flared. Nigel was grateful his sunglasses guarded his eyes from scrutiny, lest the psychologist caught his lie. 

Cody sighed. “Fine. We’re clearly here for the same reason and since you need to know this, I’ll tell you. Wally’s been acting manic so I’m keeping an eye on him for a friend.”

“Which friend?” Nigel couldn’t believe how his hackles naturally rose. Someone would think they were talking about an omega. He really had to get a grip. He had to set clear boundaries for himself. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Cody quipped. He waved, and Nigel followed his line of attention to Wally on the field, watching them both with a look that was hard to depicter. 

“It matters to me. Wally’s been my best friend, my responsibility since elementary. I’ll be damned to sit here and take your answers at face value. So, you’re going to answer my questions.” Nigel replied, tightlipped and fake smile in place as he also waved at Wally.

Wally started to raise his hand to wave, but someone must have called him because his attention diverted to the linebacker who was easily fifty or so pounds heavier than him. A second later, he was jogging back into position, but his attention did drift over to them once more before settling on the practice. 

“You’re asking me to break doctor-patient confidentiality. I can’t legally do that.” Cody rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. The tension eased from his shoulders as he picked up his phone and checked it.

Nigel’s stomach dipped. He felt sick. “You’re involved with that group Wally joined.”

Cody perked up but didn’t look so happy. “No. I’m not. I’m the person trying to help him work through his situation so he doesn’t keep getting way over his head. I’m surprised he told you about that club.”

“If you’re not part of that group, then how are you involved with Wally?” He raised a hand when Cody opened his mouth to talk. “I’m not the person you want to lie to.”

Cody’s eyes narrowed. This could turn hostile quick, but the psyche major was in no physical shape to cause any harm. “If you’re worried about my integrity, then don’t. I’m simply watching him for his psychologist who is currently evaluating a patient involved in a murder trial.”

“This is my best friend. I would know if he was being evaluated.” Again jealousy. He didn’t even know the details and his brain supplied the worst case scenarios. 

“Then it’s no surprise that he’s irrational and impulsive like at the party when he blurted everything out,” Cody said with a sigh. “He knows we’re talking about him.”

Nigel glanced back at the field. Wally was watching them again. They were distracting him. “We were all subjected to psyche evaluations before getting into the law enforcement program. We passed. How is he in therapy without the school knowing and what kind of therapy knows that alphas are getting knotted, but don’t call that in to social services?”

Cody remained tight lipped. “I’m sorry, Nigel. I really am. I can see that you’re struggling with what Wally said, and believe me, I’m sure when this manic phase is over, he’s going to regret being that forthcoming, but I honestly can’t tell you anything more about his situation.”

Nigel pulled his phone from his pocket and shot a quick note to Hoagie. _I want every file you can find on Cody, including any charities and private organizations he works for. Also, see what medical records you can get on Wally. You’re really going to have to dig deep. I’ll explain later._

“Nothing stays private for long,” Nigel said.

Cody gathered his things and shoved them into his backpack. “Yes. That’s true. But for Wally’s sake, I hope some things can remain under the radar. This is a very cruel world for alphas with his particular interests.”

“I’m his team lead. It’s my responsibility to know everything about my crew. I have to know if they are a liability.” Cruel, but true. Not that he would be quick to knock anyone off his team. Again, they were childhood friends. Nothing solidified a friendship more than hardships and numerous bad experiences. 

“I think we both know that the only liability Wally is, is to himself.” With that, Cody stood and made his way down the bleachers. 

Those words echoed in his head as he watched Wally’s practice. It’d been a long time since he’d come to a practice and even a game. He’d been so busy with studies and all the physical exams he had to go through to get certified to run his own team; medical classes, expert fighting techniques, criminal psychology, hostage negotiations, law classes, etc. He’d spent too much time going to lunch-ins and dinners with people his father knew. 

It was a lot of work to secure a plug, especially when only ten percent of all graduates made it straight into the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Retrieval. It was grunt work and the job would lack any real payoff for years, but they’d be on the inside and could work up from there.

The point was, he was lucky to already have a team. It took years for apex alphas to find other alphas that they could work with. He’d do anything for the people under him, but he would sacrifice everything for Wally, and that terrified him the most.

Practice lasted another hour. The coach blew his whistle and motioned for the group to clear the field and go get cleaned. Wally trotted over to him with his helmet in tow. Blond strands had come loose from his low ponytail and stuck against his sweaty face. 

Those piercing green eyes took him in, and clarity was suddenly all too there. There was a nervous energy radiating off him. “Hey Nigel. What’s up?” 

Damn. Cody was right. Something wasn’t right with Wally and if anyone should know, it was him, the leader of their little retrieval team. 

“There’s a training seminar this weekend. You’re the last person I need to clear schedule wise.” Not a complete lie. He had thought about signing them in. It would be fun. All the games were regulated, and they’d get to test their skills against Navy Seals. It wouldn’t be easy, but they’d get real practice beyond the piddly stakeouts. 

“Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun. Wait for me, I’ll be out shortly.” With that, Wally disappeared across the field and into the door that accessed the locker room.

 

oOo

 

God. He was such a pervert.

He tried to keep a little space between them as they walked along the sidewalk, but after about ten minutes, he Wally fell in step beside him and he liked it. He glanced at Wally. He liked when his best friend got out of the shower and his long hair was unbraided.  
It softened his features.

The bad thing was, Wally was utterly indifferent to the notion that only omegas had long hair. His sandalwood bodywash filled their space and Nigel found himself breathing deep to capture that scent.

“I can’t believe you got us in the Redemption Seminar. This is going to be so fun,” Wally said, not at all worried that he would be missing out on two swim team meetings. His childish excitement made him appear so young.

Nigel wanted to clear the air, but this was the first time ever that he wasn’t sure he could. Where would that conversation end? If Wally was kicked off the team, it would take forever to replace him and he hated the idea that Wally would be out in the world without him knowing where. It was the apex alpha in him, the obsessive part that left him controlling.

“All those dinner parties paid off. Were you interested in going to my dad’s annual business party? I’d rather not get stuck in one more boring conversation on federal laws regulating criminal activity per southern states verses northern states,” Nigel said. 

Wally was watching him. “Not a selling point, man. Is there going to be liquor?” 

“Yeah, but you think you’ll get to it before you’re ushered off by the help?” Nigel asked.

Wally threw his head back and laughed. “Dude, I’m a fucking ninja! You can skip the boring shit. I’m not going to stand around and talk with anyone about federal laws.”

He wondered how many federal and state laws Wally actually knew. He was in a few legal classes and forensic classes. Most of his studies consisted of fighting techniques. Wally’s short attention span hadn’t changed much from their days in elementary.

They got to the house and he caught Wally’s arm. “You’ll go with me, right?”

Wally’s smile. “You had me at underaged drinking.”

That winning smile made his heart flutter. 

 

oOo

 

It was 11pm at night when a soft tap on his door startled Nigel from his studies. He answered the door, hoping for Wally, but it was Hoagie with his laptop in hand.

“Can I come in?” Hoagie kept his voice low and glanced down the hallway to the closed door on the right. Wally’s closed door.

“Yeah, of course,” Nigel stepped to the side.

Hoagie went straight to his desk, moving a few things so he could set his computer down. He took the open seat and started typing a string of codes. The computer screen flickered through websites, the coding rushed over the screen before images flashed for a second.

“This was really hidden man. I had no idea what a deep dive I’d have to do. Someone wanted to make sure Wally’s future stayed buried. Any idea who?” Hoagie asked as the computer coding finally slowed down.

Nigel’s stomach twisted. Already, he had a bad feeling. If this hadn’t been an issue, Hoagie would have sent a text, instead of visiting him when everyone else went to bed. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“Are you ready for this?” Hoagie asked.

Nigel sighed. “Go for it. I’d like to get to bed sometime soon.”

“Wally was hospitalized twice for attempted suicide, one was a drug overdose, the other was carbon monoxide. His parents must have paid someone to keep that out of his records. It was buried, but not well enough,” Hoagie said. 

It wouldn’t be Wally’s parents, because they didn’t have money. Wally must have had an angel watching over his shoulder, or more likely, someone had a stake in Wally’s future. It’d be over so quickly if anyone knew what he admitted to at the party. 

He licked his dry lips. “When did this happen?”

“The overdose was at twelve, two months after he presented alpha. The second attempt was at sixteen, he was found in the garage by his dad, hose hooked up to the tailpipe. That one was probably the closest he got to succeeding. Hospitalized again, this time for three weeks.” Hoagie read over his documents.

Nigel tried to remember Wally disappearing for any amount of time but could only remember _family vacations_. It’d been nothing to be concerned about. They all had family obligations, Nigel had more obligations than anyone, given his family’s social status and prestige.

“Fuck. Fuck!” He massaged his temple. It was too late. The headache was already there. The fact that Cody knew all this, but he, Wally’s best friend, didn’t? It made him angry again. And hurt. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if Wally was still suicidal, given how many high risks he took. If he had to guess, the answer would be Yes. But why? Why was life so bad that he would want to end it?

Hoagie swirled in his seat and looked up at him. “This is pretty big and we’re more of a family than we are with our own flesh-and-blood. I know I don’t have a say, but I think the team should know.”

“Yeah. Agreed.” The meeting would have to be without Wally. He’d figure this out. 

 

oOo

 

“I bet you Cody knows Wally thru therapy. Everyone knows that old blood gets internships with the Alpha-Psyche ward. That thing is so hush-hush.” Abby speculated from her perch on the couch armrest. 

“But there’s no documents that Wally actually attends the Alpha-Psyche ward for therapy,” Hoagie said, sitting in the cushioned chair with a root beer in hand. 

Nigel couldn’t stop wondering about the time Hoagie and Wally did cocaine. They had to pass drug tests every six months with their internship at the Uno Retrieval Agency. He blinked, mentally shaking the wayward thoughts. 

“You said that information is buried. As long as Wally doesn’t do something incredibly incriminating, he should be fine.” Kuki flipped thru, who knows what, on her mobile phone while listening to the conversation.

“Yeah, but it’s Wally. He’s not predictable,” Abby said.

“I just need to keep him under control and maybe busy with side projects.” Nigel hoped to God that was possible. It wasn’t like he could be with Wally twenty-four-seven. 

“You know what would keep that boy in line, don’chu?” Abby asked knowingly.

Nigel gritted his teeth, knowing, without a doubt, that she would say it was him. He couldn’t do that though. “Abs—”

She smiled. “Yeah. Yeah. I know! Reputation and all that bull-honky. You know though, he might actually make you happy too.”

She was pushing too hard. He had to shut her down. “I’m not into alphas, okay. That’s not my thing. And I’m fine.”

She rolled her eyes and he couldn’t ignore the fact that Kuki did too. Hoagie stared at him, eyebrows raised. Did the whole team think he liked knot-boys? How long had they had this opinion of him?

“I’m not saying you like alphas. It’s not an alpha thing. You’re demisexual, dude.” Abby said. Kuki hummed in agreement.

This was starting to feel like they were ganging up on him. He was saved, momentarily, when the door swung open. Cody and Wally stood there for a second before Cody frowned and adverted his attention, walking past them to the kitchen. Wally shut the door and dropped his backpack by the wall. His blond hair was tied up again, those braids only accented his features. 

“Hey. I didn’t know we had a meeting today.” He tried for casual.

Nigel tried for casual too but seeing him with Cody made something warm spread through his veins. It was sour and resentful. He tried to shake it, but the truth of the matter was, he didn’t like Wally around Cody. Especially since he wasn’t sure who Wally was getting a knot from. 

“Not a meeting. We’re just talking about the weekend. It’s going to be so much fun. I bet you can’t wait to break someone’s arm,” Kuki jumped into the conversation.

Wally’s smile was instant. 

Nigel chose that moment to slide out of the room and into the kitchen. Cody was leaning against the counter with a mug in hand. A string hung over the side; Earl Gray. 

“Stressful day?” Nigel asked. He didn’t feel a strong desire to be polite, but he forced himself into that route anyway. 

Cody shrugged. “Nothing unusual on my end.”

“Yeah? You’re sure about that? Working at the Alpha-Psyche ward doesn’t drudge anything strange up?” Nigel kept the table between them, lest Cody felt threatened. The alpha in question stared at him, neutral and calm.

“If you have questions, I’ll try my best at answering them,” Cody promised.

The front door opened and closed. There was a sudden silence in the house. Nigel strained to hear if any of his friends were home. The silence lingered. Thank the alpha gods, Abby probably got the hint and drew Wally outside. 

“I need to know about him. I need to know what I have to do to keep him safe,” Nigel said.

Cody nodded as if this was the exact question he’d been waiting for. “I don’t think anyone can do anything to keep someone safe. He’s stubborn and strong-welled. He’s going to always flirt with danger.”

“But why? What’s the thrill? The consequences are extreme. It’s not worth it.” Nigel pressed.

Cody sighed. “Could be a number of reasons that would make an alpha behave the way they do. You’re taking a number of the beginner psychology classes. You should know this.”

“These classes don’t cover anything in detail and I have a feeling you’ve seen a lot more than I have. So cut the bullshit and tell me what I need to know,” Nigel ordered. The growl was right there at the edge of his tone. It took everything to swallow it down.

“Is this going to turn into an interrogation?” Cody asked with mild interest. 

“How long have you known Wally?” Nigel ignored Cody’s gentle teasing. He didn’t have time for this back-and-forth.

Cody sighed and mumbled to himself, setting his mug down. “Okay. Fine. I’ve known him for two years. And I will save you the trouble of asking your next question; he was placed in a program that I started my internship through.” 

“What’s his diagnosis?” Nigel barely shifted his stance. He listened hard for the front door to open.

“The program is experimental. We try not to label the alphas that are in the group, but if I had to venture, I’d say classic borderline personality disorder with manic mood swings. He has a clear fear of abandonment and at his worse moments is impulsive and reckless. He self-harms, has an explosive temper and sometimes is out of touch with reality.”

The silence between them grew heavy. Nigel could almost hear the gears clicking away in his own head as he put past memories to what Cody said, some of those memories could double up per checked item. 

“Does it make you feel any better knowing? Does it give you a clear path on what you want to do with him? You could go to your director now and Wally would be off your team in seconds. The school would gauge his situation, maybe throw him into the army and let him be a drudge.” Cody spoke with bitterness.

Nigel shook his head. “I want nothing of the sort. I stand by what I said. I needed to know what was troubling Wally.”

“So, what are you planning on doing?” Cody pressed.

“He admitted to taking a knot. That doesn’t—” it felt so utterly wrong to say it. He swallowed his issue, because Cody waited non-to-patiently. “Is he knot-boy or was that a onetime deal?”

Cody’s eyebrow raised. “It’s really not as uncommon as alphas are led to believe.”

“What isn’t?” Nigel found himself growing impatient.

“The knot-boy situation. Alphas do form attractions to alphas. Omegas form attractions towards other omegas and betas, well, sometimes they have a strong attraction to alphas and omegas despite the very little one-sided research done on beta psychology.  
It’s not uncommon for same second-genders to be attracted and quiet a few of them are living on the downlow. And surprise, it’s actually working for them. Like I said, this is an experimental group, but we are trying hard not to judge.”

Nigel inwardly sighed. “But what about the government finding out?”

“That will always be a problem until these same second-gender interest groups can find the courage to fight back. There’s nothing wrong with Wally on that end. It doesn’t make him any less alpha. And it’s a bloody shame that the government tries to strip the identity from these individuals because of who they love.” Cody picked up his tea and held it with both hands, close to his face, but didn’t drink it.

Nigel swallowed hard. It was a bloody shame. Wally was as alpha as they came. He was a rogue alpha, perfect for what they did. Knowing all this didn’t change that. It didn’t make him feel any better either.

“You told Wally not to go somewhere alone. Where is this place that he frequents?” Nigel asked. Last question, he silently promised to himself.

“It’s called Butter Ridge Creek. It’s a dive bar. You can find anything you want and by anything, I mean lower than the bottom of the bucket, go there for drinks. You want a snuff video? You can find a producer. You want angel dust? You can find a dealer. You want to find an alpha that will knot another alpha….”

He didn’t have to finish that statement.

“He was lucky he only got a black eye?” Nigel was more than able to imagine Wally without discretion, approaching someone.

“Yeah. You get the drift.” Cody kicked away from the counter and exited the room.

“Thank you.” Nigel managed to call out.

Cody stopped at the staircase, the bottom stair always creaked with weight. “Hope it was helpful.”


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a great weekend, up until now. 

Wally stood with his left arm in a sling laughing at the Navy Seal that had been assigned to them during the man hunt games. The man in question, Rocco, had two fingers in a metal brace wrapped with tape. He was roughly twelve years their senior, with corded shoulders and narrow waist. He stood as tall as Nigel but had sixty pounds plus of muscle on him. It’d been a group effort, and Wally’s utter lack of self-preservation that helped them win the hunt. 

The weekend ended quick and the bonding he’d hoped to gain, to smooth over the edges, hadn’t gone as planned. He loved this group. They were his family. They were his home. However, he absolutely hated how Rocco now celebrated their successful training with them.

“I’m impressed that a second-year student managed to brake my fingers,” Rocco said, attention completely on Wally. A spark of interested gleamed in the man’s dark eyes, ever since they brought their prize in from the hunt. His attention lingered a little too long on Wally, beyond what would be considered socially acceptable. 

They stood in a little local bar that had a small dance floor, jut box, a couple pool tables, darts and tables and two extremely old boxed televisions with bent antennas sitting on dipping wood shelves playing sports. The place had a limited menu, but pizza with more grease than flavor, fries and hamburgers were better options than bowls of pretzels.

Nigel gritted his teeth and politely added to the conversation. It killed him watching Wally moderately tease and flirt with Rocco. It was extremely subtle, but Rocco picked up on it. The thing between them was mild. So easy to overlook. 

“I need to get some water if I’m driving. You want to come with me?” Abby asked. Her firm hand on his shoulder belied the gentle question. She wasn’t asking him.

It’d be good to get away from the scene before his vision turned red. He could feel the hum of jealousy. It made his blood hot and his stomach roil. Wally was an alpha. Alphas didn’t throw ownership over other alphas. But his brain didn’t care.

They got to the bar and Abby tapped the wood surface, gaining the bartender’s attention before mouthing water. She turned back to Nigel. “Is he making you jealous?”

“What?” His attention jerked to her. The music was loud and the crowd was so drunk, no one was listening.

She chuckled and shook her head. “He knows how to get your number Nigel. Seriously can’t believe you don’t see it. He’s never done this in front of us before. Never. And he’s not being extremely subtle. Got to ask yourself why someone like Wally, who has authority issues, would go for an alpha he physically can’t make submit if things go bad?”

“Not asking myself anything,” Nigel lied, turning his back to the room as he also motioned for a second water from the bartender. 

“Yeah you are. You’re barely keeping it contained.” Abby said. 

The bartender came over with their clear cups of tap water. Wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for, but he wanted to ease into a nice buzz without waking up with a headache from all their team bonding. He finished the water and signaled for another. He needed to get sober before his emotions took over. 

“You’re reading into things. I’m tired. I need a shower. I still have a paper to write and I haven’t read any of my assigned books. I have a lot on my mind.” He took the second water and tried to drown it, but it wouldn’t go down nearly as fast. 

Abby threw her head back, chuckling. “I think Wally is going to find himself an authority figure if you don’t step up to that plate, but whatever, man.”

He took his drink and turned around. It was comfortable at the bar. It gave him a chance to think and breath in the atmosphere without being so aware of his best friend. 

The crowd swayed on the dance floor, shifting with the new song and he had a clear view of his now empty table. He glanced at the dance floor again, but Wally and Rocco weren’t there. Why would they be? It would be way too forward for two alphas to be that open even in a dingy little bar in the middle of nowhere. 

They weren’t over in the corner either, where Kuki and Hoagie played pool. 

“Uh-huh! There goes an alpha on a mission,” Abby called out to him.

He ignored her as he made it to the bathroom, half expecting the guys to be washing their hands. They weren’t in the bathroom. As he backtracked, he noticed the door at the end of the hallway. The door had seen better days, painted a few times over, different colors that chipped into an array of ugliness. 

He got to the door and forced himself to relax. His nerves shook with anticipation for what he’d find. He swallowed his anger. It was a thick lump in his throat that wouldn’t go down. 

_Just don’t kill anyone. You don’t want to explain it._

He shoved the door open and was immediately greeted by the damp, thick scent of rotten food and urine. On any given day, it would serve as a successful deterrent. He wouldn’t make out with anyone in this location, but Wally would find this the perfect camouflage for something incredible illegal. 

Nigel stepped out into the alleyway, letting the door fall silently shut. The moonlight couldn’t penetrate down between the two narrow buildings, which allowed for the perfect cover. He held his breath and filtered the sounds. 

His eyes adjusted right as he focused in on the sound of kissing and a very soft, breathless moan. A small part of him, the wilder part of him inwardly howled with anger. It was a horrible reflection of his jealousy. It took every part of his discipline to keep it controlled. 

“Wally.” It was a quiet order for full attention. 

The two bodies pressed together in the shadows would have gone overlooked by a passerby. The movement of said shadows painted a picture that nearly made his control fold. 

Rocco’s hand stilled but remained down Wally’s unbuttoned pants. The alpha’s pupils were nearly black and his jaw tightened. Nigel squared his shoulders, knowing exactly what the Navy Seal’s position was on this. He felt the same possessive rage wrapped around his heart and soul. 

It solidified that maybe this world Wally lived in, really wasn’t an anomaly 

“I need a moment with my agent,” Nigel said. It was as polite as he was willing to be. He shoved that feral voice all the way down.

Rocco gave him a long wary look before glancing at Wally. Wally nodded. It was so strange to see someone who just met Wally, willing to stay and protect him. The man looked doubtful but left.

Nigel moved forward to get a better look at his drunk friend. “He thinks I’m going to hurt you.”

“Are you?” The question held the tiniest hint of concern, though Wally remained unreadable. His eyelids were heavy. His green eyes didn’t shine nearly as bright after drinking the whisky shots. 

“Please tell me you’re not a glutton for punishment,” Nigel said.

Wally’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I need time to ponder that answer, Captain. Hitters are built for the hard hits, right?”

“Damnit Wally,” He was exhausted and that didn’t come out angry. He wasn’t angry. Scared. Worried. Exasperated, but not angry. “You’re making it so difficult for me to protect you.”

Wally threw his head back and snorted. “Protect me from what, Nigel? Myself? That’s what you and Cody were talking about right? Getting down with my long history of self-destruction.”

That comment came out way too easy, like Wally had heard it a million times. Maybe he had, in therapy at least. 

“Me, Wally. I’m trying to protect you from me. You shouldn’t want me,” Nigel said.

Wally licked his lips. His breathing changed. His pupils were dilated, something Nigel could tell even from the distance he forced himself to keep. His hitter sighed, body going completely soft as he molded himself to the wall.

“Because you’re so dangerous?” The question came out mocking and annoyed.

“Yes. My family doesn’t fuck around. It’s not a world I want to bring you into,” Nigel said. The honesty surprised him, especially because this was the first time he came to that realization. His family was dangerous. All of them. He’d known for a while that not all their methods were legal. 

It wasn’t fair to any alpha, if he took a sudden interest in them, but Wally was his best friend, his family and if he only admitted it to himself, he loved the ill-tempered, hotheaded blond. He would do anything he could to protect Wally.

Wally kicked away from the wall and stopped just at his side. A mask of disinterest slid back into place, hiding his earlier vulnerability. “I hear your concerns and I respect it. I wouldn’t want to cause you any unnecessary distraction. I’ll be on my best behavior boss.”

Nigel watched his best friend walk back through the door with the distinct feeling that Wally had just let him go. He sighed to himself, swallowing the mixture of anger and disappointment. Wally had been right in front of him, openly horny and flirty. Everything in the core of Nigel’s being knew that Wally wouldn’t fight a quick rump.

But he meant what he said. His father was a mean man.

God. He really hoped this was the end of it. He would keep Wally in line and most of all, he’d work even harder to forgot these feelings his best friend stirred in him. 

When he got to the end of the hall, he half expected Wally to be hip friends with Rocco again, but the older man was gone. His team was now at the pool table, Abby and Wally drinking cups of water and watching Hoagie and Kuki finish their games. A quick glance said Rocco wasn’t anywhere. He came over to his group, as Wally threw his head back, laughing that easy, warm buttery way he did. 

“Thought you got lost,” Abby said, sliding from her seat. “I’m good to go.”

Hoagie sunk the eight ball and the game was over. Everyone was moving and he followed, watching how easy Wally fell back into his normal ways. 

The car ride wasn’t awkward. The music was loud, Kuki and Wally were playing a game on their phones and Hoagie had a contraption on his lap that he was poking around with. The conversation around him filled the car with laughter, something that didn’t exactly reach his spirit. He listened to them and no one tried to drag him into a conversation for the long drive.

 

oOo

 

Nigel spent the afternoon with his door shut, staring at his term paper. How was he supposed to write when his brain kept circling over the fact that his best friend was a knot-boy and he really knew nothing about this world or Wally’s safety while his best friend experimented with strangers. 

He turned to his computer and typed; Alpha to Alpha sex. 

The anti-knot-boy websites came up first, ran by religious organizations talking about the abomination of the act. _God will strike you dead if you knot another alpha,_ bullshit. Wally wasn’t dead, so either God didn’t care, or the Devil was protecting the kid. If he had to wager, he’d say Wally gave people _hell_ if he wasn’t happy. 

He dug a little deeper, going to much older searches and nothing came up. His heart raced when he clicked into TOR and did a dark web search. Only a handful of sites came up showing the horrors of a conversion camp. He didn’t click on them, not needing to be scared straight. This was research and it shouldn’t have been so difficult to find what he looked for. 

He found two websites looking for knot-boys. Found one red room that promised the torture of alphas by other alphas with huge knots; blood and tearing guaranteed. Found three live cams that offered big knots and alphas that just presented. All of it was sickening. He was about to drop the whole search when he found one link titled; _alpha knot-boy training._

He clicked the link and the first line warned; _Always wear a condom unless the alpha you’re with is willing to risk conversion with alpha-sperm directly in their system. It’s been proven that the first time won’t convert an alpha, but repeated assault of alpha sperm has been used in conversion camps._

There was a list of hyperlinks in bright pink print against the black background. He clicked on the psychology link titled; _alphas who need to submit._ The study looked legit with charts, proper definitions, case studies and a list of references. 

_The alphas that came through the study have exhibited superior tendencies in physical testing. They would, by social construction, be considered apex alphas. They do exhibit aggression and good leadership skills, but shy away from the position. They have shown propensity towards separation anxiety, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, adjustment disorders, impulsive control disorders…_

He stopped reading. This had Wally written all over and it physically hurt realizing how much he’d overlooked it. He moved on to the terms used in the dominance/submission realm. 

The pictures were of an alpha wearing a mask in different submissive positions. Each picture had a hint of defiance despite the alpha submitting. The shoulders were a little too strong and tense. The back muscles were pinched in a certain way that said the alpha might get up at any second and clock whoever was taking the pictures. 

He wondered if that was what Cody was talking about. _Alphas were still alphas. They didn’t want to be anything different._

He continued to scan and read until his eyes ached when he blinked. A soft knock at the door nearly sent him flying from his chair. He quickly closed the site and twirled around in his chair. “Come in.”

Wally pushed the door open, then leaned against the door frame, naked with a towel around his waist. His long blond hair hung wet over his muscular shoulders; a darker blond due to the wetness. He’d seen Wally in the showers back at the gym, but it didn’t stop him imagining his darker blond curls at the junction of his pelvis, also wet from his shower. 

His friend looked like a warrior. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body. Skin hugged muscle, giving it all sorts of a nice masculine lines. “The guys want to go to happy hour. You wanna come?” 

Yes! But not the way Wally meant for him to _come._ He shook the thought. He already went through puberty. The sudden perverseness was unsettling. “Playing it a little dangerous this close to midterms, you think?”

Wally shrugged, eyes darting upwards at the ceiling for a second like he expected a lecture. “If you’re going to be that uptight about it, you can just say no.”

“If you need company while you study, I’m the perfect man for that task.” Nigel itched with guilt. He’d just been looking up ways to dominant an alpha and now he asked his friend to be somewhere so private and quiet with him. 

Wally’s attention darted back to him. “If you’re afraid I’m going to get kicked out of my advance law classes, don’t be. I’ve got this handled.”

“Wally, go grab your damn books and get in here.” He left no room for argument, but he wasn’t in a position to force it, considering that he was more than hard and didn’t want his best friend seeing it.

“You’re getting to be a micromanager in your old age.” Wally called over his shoulder as he disappeared back down the hall and slammed his bedroom door shut. 

Nigel turned back to his computer, wishing he’d saved the link to the alpha training site so he didn’t have to go through the long search methods again. A second later, Wally came back into his room barefoot with only a pair of soft, black sweats on and a handful of books.

“Don’t want you thinking I failed my classes on purpose.” Wally kicked Nigel’s door shut and dropped his things on the bed. 

Nigel’s heart flipflopped. This was opposite what he’d told himself he was going to do a couple of days ago. He was supposed to be getting over the notion that Wally admitted to finding alphas attractive.

 

oOo

 

Nigel typed a few more lines for his report. His coffee cup went empty hours ago and his eyes burned every time he blinked. He glanced over at Wally face down and asleep in his books. Nigel lifted his phone and snapped a picture, added a funny sticker and sent it through SnapChat to Abby. 

Her message instantly came back; _Finally got your dream alpha in your bed._

He frowned at the statement, then realized he was still being hard on himself. No one was around. No one saw this message and knew this was what they were talking about. He wrote back. _Yeah, and as predicted, they are terrible bedmates. He’s sleeping diagonal. There’s no room for me._

She wrote back; _Poor baby. I guess you’re going to have to just sleep on top of him._

The comment instantly warmed him as he sat his phone down and stood to stretch, then crossed over to his bedroom door and locked it. There shouldn’t be a soul in the house that would call this in, but he had to play it safe.

Wally mumbled incoherently as Nigel traded the book he laid on for a pillow and stacked all the books on his desk. He then pulled his shirt over his head and draped it over the chair, then kicked off his shoes and slid into bed. He wasn’t sure how long he laid there with the lights off, listening to Wally breathing before he turned around to face his sleeping companion.

He’d done this once, when they were in junior high having a slumber party. He moved in close and took a deep inhale of his alpha friend’s clean hair. It smelled like the sandalwood shampoo he used. He moved a little lower, brushing his nose against Wally’s neck and shoulder. 

If he were an omega, his mating gland would be right there. The fact that it wasn’t didn’t stop Nigel’s instinct to still bite and claim his best friend. He wanted to scent mark Wally from his throat down to his toes. The notion made him even harder in his jeans.  
When Wally didn’t wake, he traced his fingers down his friend’s spine. His warm skin felt soft under his fingertips. He danced his fingers over Wally’s narrow hips, trying to imagine what it was like guiding those hips back onto his shaft.

Fuck. This was opposite of _getting over it._

He let gravity draw him onto his back as he held his breath and again listened to his friend’s gentle breathing. He was utterly shaken. 

He couldn’t get comfortable, but exhaustion finally found him.

 

oOo

 

Nigel immediate felt the solitude before he opened his eyes to find Wally and his books gone. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed to the heavens, earth and whoever else would hear and take pity. His life was so messed up and he almost didn’t care. 

He rolled into Wally’s space and sniffed the sheets. The fabric smelled like their childhood and a very adult, alpha best friend. God, if he could have cuddled up next to his hitter and actually held him, that would have been great. 

What did this mean for him? Did he need therapy? What would make an alpha chose another alpha? 

It went against everything he was taught. He tried to imagine the conversation he would have with his family if he brought Wally to the holidays. His dad would take them both into the desert and shoot them, and that would be getting off easy. 

“Get it out of your head,” he growled. The world was so much bigger than them and these petty problems.

He got dressed and shoved his books into his bag before heading downstairs. Only Abby and Kuki sat at the breakfast nook, eating cereal and looking at their phones. Abby sat her phone down when he joined them. 

“So?” She asked. Her eyebrow raised with speculation. 

He shook his head. “We were studying. Nothing more.”

Kuki tsked her tongue. “You two need to kiss and get this courtship moving along.”

“I hope that’s a joke, Kuki. My dad would skin me alive and Lord knows what he’d do to Wally,” Nigel said. This felt like high school again. He didn’t need his friends trying to hook him up with a friend.

Kuki shoved more sugary cereal into her mouth. “Not a joke! You two have been eye fucking each other since elementary.”

“What our girl means to say is that the two of you been eyeing each other when you think the other ain’t watching. I ain’t never met two peas in a pod like the two of you. So make it happen or cut the strings and get a girlfriend so we don’t have to keep watching you two idiots eye fucking all the time,” Abby answered. 

“On that note, I’ll see you both in gym.” He stood, grabbing a power bar and walking out of the kitchen, barely catching Cody as the older student slid out the door with his shoulder bag. He rushed out the door and quickly caught up with him.

Cody swung around, stopping him in his tracks. “Look, the only reason I told you this much is because I know you’re close to Wally, but what’s your endgame Nigel?”

The question caught him off guard. “Can two alphas be safe together?”

Cody shrugged. “Yeah. I think the world will eventually change, but there are ways to keep this pretty hush-hushed.”

“How?” Nigel felt the hairs on his arms rise. It felt weird talking about such personal things in public as they walked across the campus. The school was old, lots of shadows in the early autumn. 

“You want Wally, but your dad is fucking Monty Uno. How the hell does a golden boy keep his alpha-alpha relationship a secret from the most powerful influencer in America when the paparazzi, news reporters and whistle blowers are around every corner?” That wasn’t a question. Cody wasn’t looking for an answer. He already understood. 

“Congratulations, you can see right through me.” He mumbled, grateful that in the odd hour of morning, no students were hanging out on the lawn.

Cody stopped walking and handed him a business card. “Be at this location at seven sharp. I’ll explain the situation when you get there.”

Fear. 

He buried that quickly. This was Wally’s truth as much as it was his. He wanted to be a part of it if only to have Wally. 

“Not that it matters to anyone, but it’s not a second gender thing,” Nigel said. Cody raised an eyebrow, so he felt compelled to explain. “He’s my best friend. Alpha, beta, omega, it doesn’t matter. He is so attractive, witty, compelling, hardheaded and kind, loyal to a fault and brave.”

Cody nodded. “That’s why I’m doing this for you Nigel. You need to be awakened.”


	4. Chapter 4

The address on the business card lead to an alpha clinic. It was three times smaller than the omega hospital, considering it didn’t need a fertility or maternity ward. He stared at his reflection in the sliding doors. Every time the doors opened, he caught the squeaky-clean white tile floor and cream-colored chairs in the nearly empty waiting room. 

He kept hoping that if he stood there long enough, he’d wake up in bed. It didn’t happen. Screw the Universe and screw him. 

The glass doors slid open and a young alpha came out. Her smile was as bright as her neon pink hair. “Is everything okay, sir? You’ve been standing there for forty-five minutes.”

“I’m waiting for this nightmare to end.” It sounded weird in his head to admit it. A quick look at the young nurse’s face let him know she was serious. 

“I can check you in. There is no wait time.” Her smile remained genuine though her eyes roved over him with medical tenacity.

“I’m here to meet with—” He stopped and instead, handed her the card with the address. 

Her eyebrows didn’t even twitch as she looked at the card and nodded. “Right this way.”

He held his breath and stepped into the clinic. He’d only visited a clinic twice; once when he was knocked unconscious after a parasailing accident and again when he got a concussion from skiing into a tree. That didn’t end his daredevil shenanigans, he just got better at taking the hits and shaking it off. 

The elevator took them to the basement. He waited a second, expecting a dark hallway with a sign pointing towards the morgue. It didn’t.

A plaque hung on the cream-colored walls with white arrows pointing which direction to go. The nurse took left, heading in the opposite direction as group therapy. There were more doors this way, most of them open, exposing smaller rooms, some with breeding benches, some with swinging chairs—

He froze, petrified. This was too soon. “I… uh—" 

A young man slid out of a closed door in a full white coat and carrying a clipboard. It took only a second to realize this was Cody. “Good. You showed. I wasn’t sure you’d do this.”

“My doubts are quickly returning,” he admitted. This felt more like a nightmare by the growing second; the long, windowless hallways, the white-noise hum that gave the space an isolated feel, the soft lighting and the air freshener that neutralized all living scents. It felt like they were the last two people on earth. 

He looked back to see that the nurse retreating to the elevator. Apparently, she had no concern about him needing her keycard to get back to the world of the living. He sighed. This was insane.

“I invited you to discuss Wally’s rut. Since you’re his captain, I thought it best that you knew his situation though I want to make it clear that I didn’t have to inform you despite the law.” Cody opened a door that lead to a room as small as a janitor closet. It had one sizeable window that looked into a room with a bed. 

He licked his dry lips, fighting his nerves and desperate need to bury his feelings. “I appreciate the civility. How many ruts has Wally spent here?”

_In this small, room with a bed… or the one with the breeding bench…_ Jealousy was a huge issue that refused to be tampered down. They were talking about another alpha. He had no breeding rights that he could slap Wally with. 

God forgive him, but he really wanted those breeding rights. His best friend was so beautiful and dangerous. It was like keeping a tiger. Everyone knew these feral cats weren’t meant to be owned, but that didn’t stop a person in utter awe from wanting one. 

“Less than a handful. Here at the clinic, we offer rut charts for alphas, but they aren’t obligated to fill them out and return them.” Cody said.

“In other words, you’re not sure what rut schedule Wally keeps.” And it didn’t help that his hitter often disappeared on any given day, either an impromptu vacation or he decided to spend a couple of days anywhere but the house. 

“Wally doesn’t keep a therapy schedule. I work with him when he comes in. By now, I’m sure you had your technician illegally pull his medical records, so you’re already aware that Wallabee has been suicidal in his past. Right now, I’m observing any reoccurring habits that he might be experiencing these tendencies again.” Cody answered, looking more like a professional.

The small room felt confining and their combined body heat quickly made the atmosphere stuffy. Nigel sighed, trying to release his growing tension. “Are you staying with him through his rut?”

“In the past, I’ve been asked by patients to see them through their medical needs, but no, I would never do something so cruel right in front of you.” Cody dropped his arm with the clipboard, pressing it to his side. 

“You never slept with Wally?” A growl slipped out despite his effort to stay in control of his jealousy. Again, this was not an omega, which made the situation so much worse. At least with an omega, the submission was built into their personality. There was nothing subservient about Wally, at least nothing about a submission that he would trust. 

Tigers are beautiful. They are deadly too. 

“No. Wally has _never_ asked. To be honest; I believe he has a type—”

“Sir, you wanted to know when your patient arrived,” the nurse interrupted, hidden just beyond the doorframe, out of sight. 

Cody glanced at him long enough for Nigel to nod his consent to this extremely invasive stunt. The door shut behind the alpha leaving him alone to dwell in his head. It took seconds to talk himself out of this, but the door opened to the other room before he could reach for the doorknob. 

He froze, watching his best friend walk into the bedroom; tall, lithe and blond hair loose around his broad shoulders. His stomach was so lean that his shirt brushed against flat muscle. He wore loose jeans that couldn’t hide his tight ass even if they were a size too big. He called those his weekend, bar hopping jeans. 

Thank God this room didn’t have a breeding bench, or his jealousy would win. He held his breath, dropping his arms to his sides. Nothing happened yet and he was already pent up and anxious. He paced, keeping his eyes on the room. 

He could smell Wally. It was in his head, but Wally’s hair was wet, which meant he showered before coming here. Said shower gel smelled like cedarwood and his shampoo smelled like coconut. His shaft tightened. 

Would Wally bend over for him? Everything inside of him said yes. If his hitter was omega, there would be less of a complication. Wally would soak his panties and he’d know from the scent alone that he begged for it. There were no scents to say Wally would accept him.

His hitter dropped his overnight bag on the edge of the double bed and glanced at the mirror. Obviously, his hitter recognized it as a viewing room. Wally bit his bottom lip, looking shy and self-conscious. This was a vulnerable side that Nigel had never seen before. 

“Will you be interested in a therapist checking in and getting you set up? I can bring in Barney. From your previous questionnaire, I believe he would be the closest to your standards for a mate.” Cody offered.

Nigel filed away that name. He would personally hunt Barney down and size the alpha to his own standards. 

Wally chuckled, dragging his hand through his long hair. It was too long for an alpha; too suspicious when it was loose like this. “No need. I’m trying to fly solo, mate.”

“Is there someone you’d want me to call,” Cody asked, staying by the door as Wally sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling first, then over at the two-way mirror. 

Wally’s smile didn’t reach his eyes when he turned back to Cody. “Won’t you be checking in through there?”

Cody’s eyes darted to the said mirror. “I’ll be checking in and so will the nurses. If you need an alpha here for the social closeness, you can tell us at any time. Do you already have an alpha in mind?”

“I won’t need anyone,” Wally said as he laid back on the bed. 

Cody left Wally alone in his room and a second later, came into Nigel’s space. He hated to admit he liked the reprieve from being alone with his thoughts and guilt. Was Wally hiding here because of him and his constant warnings? 

“You can check in on him for the next three to four days. Alphas like him have unusual ruts. They tend to be a little more passive than you’d expect, but here at the clinic, we still approach the situation with caution. They are still alphas.” 

A tiger, in all its beauty, still had claws. 

“Of course,” Nigel said, glancing at the window. He still felt like a voyeur despite his hitter being fully aware that this room existed. The worst realization about all this was that he was extremely curious about his friend’s rut, despite it being extremely invasive witnessing it.

“We offer couple therapy. That might be something to look into. I must admit, he never mentioned your name, but I know you’re the one he talked about when I first witnessed the way he looked at you,” Cody said.

“I’ll think about it.” He still had no idea how to protect Wally and adding to his muddled state wouldn’t help either of them. 

 

oOo

 

He waited all day, listing every reason why coming back to the clinic was a terrible idea. Yet, here he was staring at the sliding doors for possibly five minutes this time before the nurse stepped out to greet him. She was the same one he’d met the day before.

“Dealing with indecision again?” She offered a friendly smile, but he hated that another person knew he went downstairs. 

“No. I was uh—”

“It’s okay. I was told you’d be back tonight.” She motioned for him to come through the sliding doors.

He followed her, not sure what he was going to say to Wally. If he were lucky, Wally would already be dealing with his rut and he could check in and leave under the guise that Wally wasn’t in the frame of mind for a conversation. 

Thankfully, the waiting room was again empty and so was the hallway they walked through to the elevator. He followed her in, feeling a little less shocked about the neutral fragrance that surrounded the atmosphere or the white noise that was pumped through the speakers giving the hospital a severe hush. 

“In case you haven’t eaten yet, dinner is being served in the cafeteria,” she offered as the elevator doors opened. The lighting down here was still dismal, and the calm colors of the floor and walls still felt pacifying like a maternity ward. 

He grumbled thank you and instantly felt his lifeline slip away when she walked him straight into the makeshift eating space and immediately retreated the way they came. The buffet style setup was disappointingly inadequate. Only a couple of alphas were present, looking straggly like drug addicts suffering withdrawal. 

Cody wasn’t one of the two men present in scrubs. He glanced back down the hall in the direction he came, but the nurse was gone. He needed someone to override the clearance on the elevator given that this floor was protected. 

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.

“Nigel?” His name was spoken with utter surprise.

He spun to see Wally with his blond hair knotted at the nape of his neck. It wasn’t the extravagant warrior braids he liked, but those vivacious, green eyes were still vigilantly sharp. “Uh—”

“You say that a lot,” Wally growled, he was dressed in soft blue hospital pajamas. It made him look tall and thin, but not delicate. His jaw tightened with disapproval. 

“This isn’t something I’ve ran into before, so give me a second to collect my thoughts.” He hated feeling like a school boy on the playground waiting for his first kiss, but that was exactly what Wally did to him. He felt clumsy and unsure how to maneuver with another alpha. 

Wally sighed. “Wow, Nigel Uno speechless? Never thought I’d witness the day.”

“Have you eaten yet?” Nigel asked. If the kitchen was the heart of the household and the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, this was something he knew how to proceed with. 

His hitter fiddled with the edge of his shirt, displaying his discomfort. “Get to your point, Nigel.”

Nigel caught his friend’s wrist when Wally’s attention drifted. “You’re right. We need to talk about this.”

His hitter straightened his shoulders and met his eyes straight on. “This is nothing, Nigel. You’ve been my lead since the fourth grade. It’s common for alphas in leadership positions to press their dominance over their subordinates when they think a new leadership might be forming.”

“You think this has something to do with jealousy?” Okay. Wally wasn’t completely wrong. He was jealous as all get-out. He could barely think straight at the notion of another alpha biting on that pretty skin and Wally probably loved it.

Wrong way to go! Very, very wrong direction if he was going to have any semblance of rationality. 

“Listen, you’re still top dog and when we graduate, I’ll follow you to whatever agency you sign with. I’m not looking for a new team.” Wally was so nonchalant about the situation, that it quickly became apparent that he had no idea Nigel mirrored his sentiment on making this personal. 

“I’ve seen you wankered and this wasn’t the worst you’ve been, so why did you magically lose all sense of self-preservation and say it?” 

“We’ve been through this.” Wally’s emotional guard slid into place. 

“Say it now and I’ll spend your rut with you,” Nigel openly pleaded, grateful that his tone stayed neutral. 

Wally threw his head back, laughing. Tears danced in his brilliant green eyes. “What? The boy scout wants to do something illegal? Do you need to clear it with your dad first?” 

“Haa! Funny! But for your information, I don’t clear everything with my father,” Nigel quipped, finding comfort in Wally’s jovial personality. 

“You’re not serious.” Wally stopped laughing, but the humor never left his eyes. His eyes darted away for a second, suddenly passive “Oh-My-God. You’re serious. Have you gone crazy?”

“This was a mistake,” Nigel said, ready to step around him.

Wally moved in his way. “If you meant what you said, I’ll take you up on the offer, but you have to want me too. I don’t want you doing this out of some strange guilt trip. You’re not responsible for me.” 

He stepped into Wally’s space, catching him by the hips and pulling him forward. His friend’s solid frame easily fit against him, like they came from the same mold. It felt so natural to press his lips against his best friends. Instant sparks fluttered through him, like he’d won the mate lottery. 

He wanted nothing more than to give Wally a promise band and ask for his hand. In the perfect world, it wouldn’t be an issue. But the horrors of their society were in a place that couldn’t reach them at that moment. He felt complete with Wally present.

He separated first, taking a long inhale. It was strange not smelling sunblock emitting off Wally. “Let me see you through this. Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”

Wally shuddered, suddenly shy though the smile was warm. “I’d like that.”

 

oOo

 

Nigel felt at a loss as he stood in the small room, glancing over at the mirror with guilt. When he looked over at Wally, he could instantly tell his long-time friend felt just as awkward. 

“There’s a room back there, but Cody said it’s rarely used. Alphas get a lot more privacy than omegas,” Wally answered, misreading Nigel’s look.

Nigel sat on the edge of the bed and tried to relax. There wasn’t a way to make this feel natural when they knew they were there for one reason. Unsure what to do, he patted his knee.

Wally raised an eyebrow, less than impressed. “You know I’m not a dog right?”

“I’m trying to be hot. Is it working?” He tried to remain subjective, but his desire to command Wally into submission started to override everything. 

“You’re putting very little effort in this.” Wally watched him with that same analyzing stare. He was looking for the same tell-tell sign Nigel sought on this being a bad idea.

“I’m a real good kisser,” Nigel promised. His heart raced when Wally came over and leaned in. Nigel brushed his fingers under his friend’s neck, feeling his heat. 

The second their lips touched, he desired to love him the only way he understood; _knotting, claiming, keeping, mating._

Wally moaned into his mouth, then broke the kiss to push him back against the bed. It was awkward for a second, with his legs dangling over the side while his hitter straddled him, but within seconds, his only focus was on the way Wally nuzzled his neck. A rush of bitter-sweet adrenaline rushed through him as he waited to see if his alpha best friend would suddenly turn the aggressor. 

He had nothing to worry about.

Wally was almost like a giant kitten, nuzzling and rubbing, scenting him. This obsession to scent was something he completely understood, so he flipped Wally over and returned the favor, loving every soft bit of flesh that made Wally sigh when kissed.

When his hands ended up under Wally’s shirt and his best friend pressed into his touch, the world melted away. This felt as natural as kissing his omega girlfriends, but better, because Wally was someone he’d loved for years. This was far more satisfying. It was a fulfilled hunger. 

“Can I eat you whole?” Nigel asked. One hand was tangled in Wally’s soft, blond hair, worrying it between his fingers as he memorized the golden strands. His other hand was pressed at the indention in Wally’s hipbone. His teeth ached to bite that very spot.

Wally chuckled. The twinkle in those bright green eyes seared with humor. “What?”

“I’ve been hungry for years.” He nibbled gently against his friend’s thinly veiled shoulder. It earned him a sexually frustrated gasp from his hitter that strangely hit every core of his being. 

Wally squirmed under him, looking adorable as he pressed the back of his head into the mattress. Despite his obvious enjoyment, he went still, and Nigel pulled back. “I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I promise you the only thing I regret, is not doing this sooner.” He peppered his hitter’s neck with kisses before drawing a long kiss from his kiss-swollen lips. He loved Wally wrecked, hair wild against the sheets, skin flushed and his erection throbbing under his thin pajama pants. “You need to tell me what you’re comfortable with.”

“I’ve only let two alphas knot me. It was painful and not exactly what I thought it would be. I would try it again though….”

That offer echoed loud in his brain as he mulled it over. Nigel pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Wally nodded, accepting this. 

 

oOo

 

The dimmed lights still reflected off the glass two-way mirror. Nigel laid on his side, listening to Wally’s gentle breathing. They laid like this for a couple of hours after Wally’s offer, both silent until his best friend fell asleep. 

While Wally slept, he brushed his hand from his best friend’s neck and down the curve of his spine. He kissed his shoulder and took in his scent. It was a scent he knew so well and now, in the quiet of the hospital room, he realized one thing as the truth; Wally had to be his soulmate. He couldn’t see himself happy with anyone else.

Wally’s breathing changed. Nigel shifted a little. “Are you okay?”

“I thought I dreamt this.” Wally cuddled in closer and inhaled at Nigel’s collar bone. At his exhale, his body melted into his. 

His best friend threw a leg over his side, straddling him. Wally was bare naked and beautiful with his hair falling over his muscular shoulders and down his hard-pectorals like a blond waterfall. He looked wild; an untamed stallion. Every muscle on him was worked hard, and it showed through the dips and curves of his skin. 

Nigel loved the solid weight pressing him down into the mattress as Wally rutted against him. It made it harder though, to get his hands between them and pop the button on his jeans. His knuckles brushed against his hitter’s silken skin, and Wally bit a little less gently at his shoulder. It sent waves of pleasure through him. 

He caught the back of his friend’s head, stilling him with a kiss at the edge of his nose. “Wait a second, I need to get undressed.”

Wally nodded, already looking drunk with lust. Nigel slid off the bed and made short work of his clothes, glancing at the mirror once before deciding he really didn’t care who stood back there observing this. His best friend watched him, looking dazed and gorgeous, blond hair already a mess from their rolling about.

He climbed back onto the bed and dropped his hand firmly over Wally’s hip. A person only got a full body tan if they sunbathed nude. The knowledge made him smirk.

Wally’s hand explored over his stomach, fingers gently brushing over Nigel’s happy trail before his attention drifted back up. His pupils were not as blown as one would expect for an alpha in rut. “Don’t be gentle with me.”

He slid between Wally’s legs, drew his hand up under his best friend and flipped them. Wally chuckled, catching himself with his hand flat over Nigel’s chest. This was nice, his best friend staring down at him with his award-winning smile. 

“You topping from the bottom, mate?” Wally asked.

Nigel fought the desire to roll his eyes. He honestly didn’t know all these terms, never had to know about them since every omega he’d been with had been demure in the bedroom. He remembered a lot less talking too, but these endless quips were a part of his hitter’s defense mechanism, and they got worse the more nervous the athlete got. 

“Shut up and put that mouth to better use,” Nigel hissed, pulling Wally down into a kiss, with his hand between their bodies. 

Wally’s shaft was long and thick, like his, an alpha cock meant to reach all the way back to the uterus. His hitter sighed in his mouth when he took both their shafts and stroked up the hot, silken flesh. 

Wally broke the kiss, eyes tightly shut and a small quiver that rolled through him. “I think you’re lying about being a novice at this.”

Nigel gritted his teeth. Wally was going to push every button he had if he didn’t get his alpha friend singing. He drew his fingers up over their duel shafts, to their tips. He had no idea who was spurting more pre-come, but he assumed it was his friend going into rut, hungry to breed. His fingers were coated each time he brushed over their piss slits.

The pre-come made his grip slicker, allowing for a quicker glide. He pressed his hand all the way to the base. Wally’s knot had popped enough in width that he’d be centimeters from a full latch if he were fucking an omega. With the way his body responded to his best friend’s, he was near a full latch too, so he fisted their knots.

“Gahd! Nigel!” Wally screamed. His back arched as he rutted into Nigel’s fist.

Nigel’s fingers were pushed open by the swell of both their knots as thick ropes of sperm exploded onto his stomach and chest, _thanks to gravity._ Strangely, he didn’t mind, because his clarity came back, far before Wally’s, which gave him a chance to watch his best friend as he swayed his hips into a gentle rutting motion. 

When it was over and Wally’s body finally went limp, he guided his hitter to his side. Thankfully, the paper towels were within reach. It took a quarter of the roll to wipe the healthy amount of sperm off his skin. This would be his life. He’d have to get use to the fact that he chose a partner with a knot who could shoot sperm for days. It was the role of an alpha.

They’d have to shower good when this was over, but he didn’t mind rolling in the perverseness that surrounded them. He felt on top of the world. 

“You can knot me next time,” Wally stated. 

Nigel draped an arm around Wally and pulled him, close. “Not this rut. I’m here to learn your body language.”

Wally’s eyes fluttered shut when Nigel deepened the kiss.

 

oOo

 

Alphas were dangerous creatures when caught in their rut. However, that didn’t hold true for Wally. He wasn’t wholly acquiescent either. 

Nigel found this middle ground completely unfamiliar and far more exhausting. “I need to rest.”

Wally mumbled inaudibly, already half asleep. In response, Nigel kissed his best friend’s shoulder and tightened his hold. With his arm across Wally’s chest, he felt like the protector… something his alpha brain could rationalize. 

His hitter’s body curved into the heat of his skin. Last time he noticed how comfortably Wally’s fit up against him, they’d been boys sharing a sleeping bag during a camping trip because the temperature dropped more than either of them had been prepared.   
That had been one of the few times he woke up and knew in his heart that nothing would ever be better than that moment…

And now, this confirmed it. Wally had always been meant for him.

And during this said rut, when Wally wouldn’t remember a goddamn thing, he whispered; _I love you._

And he fucking meant it.


	5. Chapter 5

Nigel didn’t realize how much strength, and will he put into holding Wally against him. The second he started to drift, he jerked away, again nervous that Wally would need him, and pure exhaustion would keep him knocked out. That was the alpha in him, prepared to deal with an omega heat which this hardly equated too. Wally needed very little from him. There’d been no begging between the roughhousing and growls. His little alpha hitter seemed pleased with the biting, being held down, a little light spanking, which he’d stumbled on accidently. 

_Alpha_ , though. That had been the biggest surprise coming from Wally’s lips. 

_Fuck me, alpha!_ A demand. Not a request. Nothing short of a surprise coming from another very independent and self-reliant creature. 

God. That was the one statement he’d gladly put on his ringtone. If Wally had been anything other than alpha, he might would have. But this was now a huge secret they shared. 

Wally gently brushed his arm. His rut had been shorter than possible for a viable alpha. Barely two days. Maybe low breeding genes had something to do with the defect? 

_No, not a defect._ Wally was so perfect in every way. The little spoon that was meant to curl up under his chin and cuddle, though he had a feeling that cuddle time just ended. 

“Did you sleep?” Wally sat up and drew his legs up to cover his nudity. It wasn’t shyness. Wally didn’t have a shy bone in his body, being the first to strip if anyone dared him to streak through a party. From the look in those dark, green eyes, he went modest out of civility. 

“I wasn’t sure if you’d need me. Didn’t want to sleep through it.” That wasn’t a lie. His strong sense of instinct said Wally was his mate and he had to make sure his mate was attended for. Sleep never entered the equation. 

Wally stood from the bed and reached for his scrub bottoms. “You didn’t knot me?”

Nigel also stood, grabbing his scrub bottoms too. It wasn’t necessarily comfortable when he still sported a rather sizeable bulge. “No.”

Wally shrugged. His easy manner vanished as he pulled his shirt over his head, visibly bothered to find that he hadn’t been roughed a bit. “I thought it was a go.”

“I never agreed to it. Neither of us are ready for how that would change our dynamics. Our instincts are hard pressed to mate. Needing to mate with a partner that can’t hold a baby would only manage to frustrate me if I let my guard down for a second,” Nigel said. He thought Wally had been more lucid when he told him _no_ the first time. 

“Right… right. Of course, biology shit, the stuff I sleep through since it doesn’t pertain to anything I actually care about.” Wally grumbled. He would silently rage; start a fight at a bar, join in a cage fight where he was sorely outweighed and outclassed in his abilities. He might have a new hobby within the week that brought him home bloody and broken. 

“You understand something about alpha biology, right? You didn’t sleep through _all_ your classes,” Nigel asked. He pulled on his clothes, feeling every muscle he’d repeated used and abused to match Wally’s stamina. It was decidedly more tiring working an alpha through a rut, than an omega, but he liked the newness of the experience. 

“Yeah, whatever, Golden Boy. That’s why we got you, right? So, you can keep the rest of us in check?” Wally said, pulling on the soft slippers, then stretching. As clear as night and day, his persona changed, he smiled and again shrugged. It was a false ease though. The only thing Wally ran from was his emotions. “I’m starving! I think they have better food after the rut.”

He followed Wally out of the room, grateful for the sudden change in conversation.

 

oOo

 

Two days out of the hospital and it was like it never happened, which bothered Nigel more than the conversation they had about knotting and claiming bites. 

Wally shoved a massive burrito to his lips, only managing to clip a small area of it. The burrito guts; beans, rice, lettuce, crumbled to the plate underneath him. He hardly noticed. “If we don’t win this year, I’m rooting for Vipers. The players are topnotch, and they don’t play dirty.” 

“I thought you perfected fighting dirty,” Drake answered. His words were slurred and pupils wide from the sheer amount of alcoholic drinks in his system.

“If they are so great, why aren’t you rooting for them now?” Haken ribbed, throwing a fry. 

Wally easily dodged it. “Fuck you, _hackie-sackie_! I happen to be loyal to a fault. You can ask Nigel and for your information, I perfected the art of fighting dirty. It’s the way to go when you’re outnumbered and outside your weight class.”

“And skillsets!” Drake lightly teased.

The table chuckled, spewing their nonsense. Nigel watched each person present. Since their small stay at the clinic, he’d become a little too cautious, much like a freshly mated alpha. He’d seen this before and could recognize the symptoms; possessive, protective, wanting to isolate his mate until he knew for a fact his mate wasn’t pregnant. But Wally was an alpha. So why was he feeling so protective? Wally could take care of himself. He knew this first hand when they went hand-to-hand in combat. 

Still, Wally didn’t help with the matter either. He sat too close, sometimes even leaning in a brushing up against him. 

It suddenly pissed him off that he realized he’d seen Wally do this with Cody and hadn’t thought a damn thing about it. It’s not like he didn’t notice his hitter. There was something about the way Wally filled a space that made that particular spot glow; egotistical, loud and a huge showman. Even a blindman would feel the warmth that radiated off his hitter.

“You might want to slow down on your drinks mate and that’s coming from me,” Wally pointed haphazardly to Drake’s drink. His sincere, Australian accent broke through Nigel’s thoughts. “What class do you have after this?”

Drake shrugged. “Library for studies. You know some of these classes weren’t meant for folks like us.”

“Aye,” Wally chuckled, shoving more food in his mouth. He had to be aware that his thigh was brushing against Nigel’s, but his hitter never once looked at him.

And when the lunch period was over, Wally didn’t even say goodbye. He dug his feet into the ground to keep from running after Wally to demand some private one-on-one time, that in other words would be a cuddle session, something an omega would need. 

But _again_ he wasn’t dealing with an omega and it was mentally confusing. That’s the one thing they hadn’t had in two days. “He’s avoiding me, isn’t he?”

“Oh yeah, he is!” Kuki answered in her singsong way. She didn’t look up from her phone as she swiped across her screen.

He felt miserable and he was the only one to blame. He thought Wally would feel as frustrated and confused, completely consumed by his alpha emotions after his rut. He was wrong. “He’s driving me crazy. He only answers group text messages. He leaves the house before I get up and doesn’t come home until I’m in bed.”

Hoagie snorted. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so predictable, man. You’ve held the same schedule since we were ten.”

“It’s true,” Abby countered, finishing her drink before discarding it to the side. “It’s Wally. He probably isn’t doing it to punish you. I don’t think that boy has a thought besides sports, bounty hunting and drinking.”

Nigel found himself stuck in looping thoughts for two class periods. He hated how giddy he felt knowing that Wally had combat training for his last period. That giddiness vanished quick enough when he realized his hitter skipped class. By the end of class, he was more than pissed and looking for a fight as he sent a quick text; _You better have an explanation for skipping combat._

He waited thirty minutes and when there was no response he called. The phone rang through, was answered and immediately disconnected without a greeting. The second time, it rang twice before going into voice mail. The third time it rang, it went straight to voice mail. “Bloody hell, he turned off his mobile.”

“Probably doesn’t want to get yelled at. It’s Wally. Let him get through his little hissy and he’ll be back,” Abby answered from the couch. 

 

oOo

 

The weekend came and went. 

The problem was, Wally didn’t come back to the house. His phone continued to ring straight to voicemail and there wasn’t so much as an update to any of his social media accounts. He wanted to believe his wayward hitter was fine, but he couldn’t leave it up to fate, so he did the only thing he knew to do and that was to visit Cody at the clinic since the therapist spent the weekend gathering clinical hours. It was a different nurse at the administrative desk; however, unease overrode his caution. It figured that Wally would be the one to turn his world upside down. The kid had a habit of doing that in any situation, including when they were out on a bounty. 

The nurse scanned her badge and allowed him onto the elevator unassisted. There were numerous buttons and he was curious how many private wings were there, as he hit the button marked B2 and fiddled with his phone. If another party looked at his call list, they would think he was obsessed with Wally. He even _felt_ obsessed, driven by pure madness in the numerous possibilities. He allowed the thought for a second, then blocked it. No one waited in the hall. No one knew he was an unassisted visitor. He had no interest in causing trouble, so he walked straight down the hall, past the rut room he shared with Wally, to the dining hall. He didn’t recognize the few alphas present. 

He heard a conversation and followed it two rooms over to a space with a group facing each other in a circle. Cody looked over and waved him in, indicating he should take a seat by the wall. Nigel did just that, glancing down at his phone again. If Wally wasn’t hurt, he was going to throw him into the dojo hall and show him his place. By the time the circle ended, he could barely breath around the lump in his throat.

“I’m checking in on Wally.” He tucked his phone into his back pocket and immediately felt the itch to pull it back out. The battery was hot, warming straight through his jeans from being constantly on. The battery was already at thirty percent, but he hadn’t thought to grab a battery. He couldn’t think much beyond making sure his friend was okay.

Cody’s brows furrowed. “Wally’s not here. I’m his direct psychotherapist, so I would have been informed if he checked in.”

Nigel fisted his hands and willed his anger to subside. “Wally hasn’t been home for two days and he’s not answering his mobile.” 

Cody sighed, looking years older than his age. He gritted his teeth and pulled his keys from his pocket. “I have an idea where that idiot might be.”

“Give me the directions. I can handle this myself,” Nigel said. He didn’t want to let Cody take the reins. He sure as hell didn’t want the therapist interjecting when he had to force Wally into submission. Alpha fights were violent, and Cody wasn’t built for the hard punches. 

“No way. Look, I understand you two have a very long history, but all this is new to you. You didn’t even know Wally had a dark past. I need to go, in case he needs someone to talk to,” Cody said. They left the hospital side by side and the therapist lead them straight to a hybrid car. They got in and Cody glanced at him, but kept his mouth shut.

Nigel didn’t bother to encourage what Cody to talk. He didn’t care. Instead, he found himself glancing at his phone until the battery slid to ten percent, which forced him to pocket it again. He needed the battery in case he had to call an ambulance. 

They got onto the freeway leading out of the city. The drive took two hours and he wasn’t happy the second he realized where they were headed. The little wharf town was backwaters with highly illegal standings. The smell of brine and fish guts clung to the air. The waves gently lapped at the pillars underneath them and the place wasn’t at all lit beyond the single bulbs here and there marking places of service that were still open. Due to the extreme darkness, he could see a red light marking an isolated building farther out and thanked the heavens that Cody didn’t head in that direction. He started to walk ahead of Cody. 

Cody’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. “You go in there like this and you’ll start a bar fight. You smell like you’re looking for blood.”

“Only Wally’s,” Nigel growled. His anger lightened when pure horror crossed Cody’s face. Surely the therapist didn’t think he’d actually hurt Wally? Maybe throw him over his knee or something, but he wouldn’t cower the kid. He was just growing tired of the constant roller coaster of emotions his hitter put him through this week. “I’m fine. Go.”

Cody kept Nigel at his back as they entered through the door. It looked like a regular trucker bar, but it smelled like battered fish, spilled beer and lingering cigarette smoke that burned past the tobacco into the filter. There were two pool tables and a dart board in the back of the room, and comfortably low guitar music strumming in the background for ambience. A quick glance and he could tell Wally weren’t among the four people present, one of them being a hooker in black tights, fuzzy teddy and heels, on her knees giving a man a blow job. Cody showed the bartender the picture on his phone. He wondered how many times the therapist had come here to find Wally. 

_Enough times for him to have this routine down pat_. Which meant all those times Nigel had been on dates, chilling at the bar watching fights, traveling to conferences with his dad, and training, when Wally had gone missing for days and he thought nothing of it, his hitter had been down here battling his demons. He held tightly to his resolve. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he started to feel overwhelmed by Wally’s secret life.

The middle-aged bartender looked like a beta that took a few alpha steroids in his life. His hair was short and graying and his nose was sharp. “Cops?”

“No. Mate.” Nigel growled. The confession shocked him. It took the air straight out of his lungs, but he maintained his composure. Yes, Wally was his mate in every sense of the word. 

The bartender didn’t look trusting but shrugged when Cody slid him a hundred dollars over the well-loved, but clean counter. “A couple days ago, the kid came in here looking for a fight. He’d down at the cage.”

“If he’s not dead, I’m going to have him committed. Reckless, irresponsible brat!” Cody swore under his breath, leading them out of the club. 

“I thought you knew the routine already,” Nigel commented. His humor lasted a second as they walked off the trail and headed towards the building with the red-light. This was that place where alphas knotted alphas. He’d kill any alpha that had their knot inflated inside Wally. 

A big alpha, well over six-foot eight stood with his arms crossed, eyeing them. After a second, his dark eyes softened. “Good evening, doctor. Does someone have an issue?”

“Just a friend of mine,” Cody answered before freely walking through the doorway and into a very dingy, hallway. 

Nigel fought the unsought of revulsion once he left what could be considered the _fresher_ sea air outside. If he had to name the scent, it was a toss between week old rotten vegetables, or the smell of sweaty, unwashed bodies mixed with bodily fluids. He raised a hand to his noise for a second, but instantly dropped it when the cheering caught him off-guard. The building didn’t look large on the outside though from the inside, he could see it clearly stretched farther back. 

“Be on guard for your own safety and don’t start something if you don’t think you can handle it,” Cody said. At Nigel’s raised eyebrow, he rolled his eyes. “I suspect you’re used to foul play, but here, people are willing to help hide the body. You’ll be outnumbered in seconds. Think about that before you cause a ruckus. No matter _what_ you see.” 

Nigel gave a curt nod. “Lead the way, doc.”

Cody lead them straight down the short hall, over dirty sawdust and into a wide room. The crowd was thick, giving a small circle for the two boxers. Both men were built like oxen, one broad size from their shoulders down to their feet. Instant relief flooded him when he realized that neither man was Wally. His hitter would have been two hundred pounds under the weight class, not that he suspected weight was considered in these fights. The smell of blood and urine was stronger in this room, like it soaked beyond the wet sawdust and straight into the floor and wood walls. 

The therapist tugged at his arm and pointed towards a curtain door towards the back. It was unmanned and they stuck along the wall, finding it the most manageable in getting through the space. The noise level rose with chants of encouragement. There were so many sounds and yet, he was sure he could hear the contact of fists against skin. Fights didn’t bother him. It was Wally that made this situation worse. 

They stepped through the curtain and he was drawn aback by the pure debauchery. Drugs were openly exchanged. Alpha prostitutes wore omega rompers with knee-high pantyhose, heels and extremely flashy makeup. A few of these knot-boys were scattered about the room, already locked on an alpha’s knot as they grinded and rode their orgasms out. 

“There,” Cody said, pointing to a table where three guys played cards. All three alphas look like they’d seen better days, but it was Wally’s beat up face that made him shove Cody back when the therapist tried to block him. He didn’t get far before Cody was right there, again, in his face. “Think about your approach Nigel. He doesn’t come here when he’s happy.”

“He’s not going to be happy on the ride back home either,” Nigel growled. He didn’t remember crossing the room. He had no idea how many steps it took, or who he passed or how the scents in this room were different. He took utter joy in the shock that crossed Wally’s face when he recognized him. 

Wally sat his cards down and stood, braced to run or fight, it was difficult to judge. Up close, under the horrid, sickly glow of light, Wally looked worse for the wear, skin taunt and pale, lip and eyebrow busted and bruising that probably swelled his eye shut when it happened. Greasy strands of hair had come loose from the high ponytail and boy did the kid stink. He smelled like the rest of the building; rotted veggies covered in sweat. If Nigel thought he could stomach it, he would have scented Wally for another alpha. 

“We’re going home,” Nigel slid into his hitter’s personal spacing, daring him to shove him back. Every blood cell in his body begging for a chance to force Wally into submission, but the desire also went straight to his crotch, filling his shaft into hardness. He gritted his teeth to keep his focus strong and not let his eyes wander downward. 

The chair scrapped the floor as the largest alpha at the table stood. “Hey asshole, we’re in the middle of a game.”

“Not anymore,” Nigel growled. He welcomed a fight. Any exertion of energy would be welcomed at this moment. 

Wally threw his hand up, placating in that easy mannered way he had about him. “It’s fine Eric. He’s just a very invasive friend.”

“You in with douche cops now?” The stranger, _Eric_ asked. The massive man waved a hambone fist in Nigel’s direction. He smelled like an entire field of oxen on a humid day.

Wally chuckled, but the humor didn’t reach his tired eyes. “He’s worse than a cop. He’s a daddy’s boy.”

The men laughed and Eric shook his head, taking his seat once more. The tension in that small space completely eased at his expense and Wally seemed pleased by this. Clearly, they had a few kinks to work out. Nigel fisted his hands. As if Wally could feel the turning tide, his hitter picked up his coat and headed towards the doorway. Nigel followed behind him, taking in the stiffness in the way he moved. It wasn’t until they crossed backout into the space holding the fights and then down the hall undisturbed, before the tension finally lifted from his shoulders. Though the briny salt air wasn’t much better, at least he could breathe again.

He caught Wally by the shoulder forcing him to around, to face him. “Your pupils are dilated. What did you take?” 

Wally hummed indifferently, all warm and fluffy and deceptively calm. It hurt to see the dark circles under his eyes and the bruising along his temple. The kid glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. “The usual party-fare.”

“Not an answer Wally. I’d hate to bench you this week for insubordination,” Nigel warned. He was exhausted and worn thin. Worse of all, he didn’t like how his mind automatically snapped that Wally should adhere to his command. Apex alphas couldn’t control everything in another alpha’s life, even though he wished to high heaven that he could.

His hitter’s jaw tightened. There was a strong discord there. “Dripper. I wanted to see how the other side lives.”

“Fuck, Wally! You just got through rehab,” Cody threw the backseat door open and made a hard gesture for the blond to get in. 

Nigel stood straighter. Wally was a little hard to handle at times, but how could he not have noticed the clear signs of an addiction? _Because your hitter is always irrational_. His brain supplied.

“Chill, it was a onetime deal. I’m not going to turn around and do it again.” Wally slid into the car and Cody slammed the door shut. 

“Every time I think we’re making progress. Every single time, he backtracks,” Cody said.

Nigel couldn’t help but shoulder that blame. Wally was clearly looking for attention, maybe even something dependable like a relationship and he denied that. 

“I know that look, Nigel. I’ve seen it a million times on alphas that come to therapy. You can’t shoulder the blame here. He’s a wounded soul. Let’s get to the clinic and I can drug test him to make sure he’s not on something stronger.” Cody patted him once on the shoulder before walking around the side of the car and getting into the driver side.

The challenge with driving two hours back to town, was sitting in the car smelling the horrors of that building. Wally’s eyes were pinned to the window, staring out at the world of darkness. They couldn’t get to the clinic soon enough and when they did, luckily, it was so late that only the receptionist bared witness to the situation. She stared with morbid curiosity. Wally did look trashed, both physically and mentally. 

“Do you break your knuckles?” Nigel asked, glancing down at the deeply bruised and cracked skin.

Wally flexed his fists, careful not to look at Nigel as he studied his hand and then the closed elevator door. “Even if I broke something in my hand, it wouldn’t stop me from my duties.”

He believed it. 

Cody lead them to the shower and for good measure, they all stripped down. Nigel had been careful not to touch anything, but decay and disgust had been a fine perfume that settled into his clothes and skin. Wally kept a wary eye on him as he soaped over a few times, cleaning everything, including his lower region.

“You’re staring pretty hard, _mate_. You want to make sure I’m not lying to you?” Wally turned to his side and canted his hip. It wasn’t submissive in the slightest. The very way his muscles tensed, spoke of pent up anger. 

Nigel swallowed his possessiveness. It was a fire breathing entity that didn’t want to be quieted. “I can clearly see that’s not what you were out for this week.”

Wally ran a hand over his forehead and face, collecting the water off, then stared at him. “I don’t know why you’re so prissy. You’re the one that said you didn’t want things to change, and they didn’t. I’m still who I am.”

Maybe it was saving grace that the water distracted him for a second. He started rinsing off, too, scrubbing a little harder than Wally was, though there were far more bruises at the surface of his hitter’s skin and it took a while for him to wash his hair; far too long for an alpha. 

He should have known. He should have seen the signs a long time ago. He washed a second time over, watching Wally do the same. “You’re doing this to spite me.”

Wally laughed. It was a loud, barking sound, mixed with an anger that hadn’t been there a second ago. “Believe me Nigel Uno, if I wanted to spite you, I would have brought someone home.”

That would have been utterly reckless and there would have been no way to protect Wally from the end results, but he had a feeling the kid meant it. Nigel shut the water off first and stood dripping drying. He’d been cautious about everything he did, even more so when he caught himself staring at his friend more and more in middle school and up. Now he stepped into Wally’s space, throwing his friend off balance. 

Wally raised a hand to push him back, then stopped when Nigel wrapped a hand around his waist and kissed him. It didn’t cure everything, but the tension immediately eased out of Wally, signifying that his bad behavior was fueled by his deeply rooted desire for closeness. 

“Nigel—”

Nigel kissed him silent, then pulled away when Wally was nothing but boneless submission in his arms. “You need to sleep and probably hydrate.”

Wally relented, and he let his best friend go. They toweled off, dropping their towels in the basket, then dressing in hospital scrubs. He hoped for both heir sake that Wally’s drug test came back with only one result.


	6. Chapter 6

Nigel wasn’t happy with Wally’s drug test results. “You’ve been here before with him. Are these his usual go-tos?”

“I’m actually surprised by his sheer restraint this time. It usually takes him more than a couple of days to detox with everything he takes.” Cody sipped his hot tea as he sat across from him at the dinner table in the kitchen. 

“A positive drug test like this would get him kicked out of the school. No one can know about this,” Nigel slid out of his chair and went straight to the shredder. The gears were shrill in the near silence. 

“Agreed. Maybe we should talk about this. His cycles are not your fault, Nigel,” Cody said. Two days ago, the therapist in training had checked Wally straight into Nigel’s care. To keep him longer would have drawn unwanted attention from the school due to his long absence. 

“I don’t know what to do with him. He’s always been irrational. This is the first time I’m actually scared it’s going to kill him.” Nigel felt the truth of that statement to the core of his being. It made his fingers shake. 

A door opened on the second floor and someone took the stairs two at a time. Wally came into the room in a clean pair of blue jeans and a black button-down shirt, no tie and vans shoes. His hair was in a very complicated braid that resembled something from Middle Earth. Not that he’d complain. He liked how masculine and yet soft, it made Wally appear. “You’re going like that to your dad’s party?”

“Jesus, my dad’s party.” Nigel passed his hitter, taking the steps upstairs, fast. He didn’t bother closing his bedroom door as he pushed around his clothes and decided on something modern and nice, much like Wally had. Unlike Wally, he wore a black tie.   
Damnit! It was just like Wally to keep him so preoccupied that he’d miss something as important as his father’s party. 

When he got back downstairs, he caught Wally leaning over the counter with a bowel of cherry tomatoes. His best friend popped one into his mouth, looking for the world, completely tranquil. “Man, you’re way too concerned about this. I’m fine.”

“I can’t believe you still want to go to that party,” Nigel said. In truth, he’d be more than happy to have a legitimate excuse not to go, but he’d hear about it for the rest of the year. There were too many obligations that came with the name Uno. 

Wally threw him a smile, like the last couple of days never happened. “Yeah, you promised me drinks.” 

Nigel frowned. “I didn’t promise you drinks. That’s irresponsible. This is a business party.”

“Yeah, I caught that part too. Just thought you’d finally act your age for once.” Wally rolled his eyes and popped another tomato in his mouth. There was absolutely no heat to his comment as he fell in step with Nigel, not arguing when he was handed a black sports coat. 

This would be the first time in a week that they were alone together. The thought made him unreasonably nervous as he stopped himself from walking to the passenger side to catch Wally’s door. It’d been less than five minutes and he reminded himself a dozen times that his best friend was an alpha and didn’t need to be treated differently. It wasn’t like they were dating. 

Wally slid into the black sports car and started fiddling with the channels until rock blared through the speakers. “Eat this up now, because you’ll be stuck with something classical when we get there.”

The drive wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as he expected it to be. Wally was in a good mood and they found a common ground for small talk, which his best friend made incredibly easy. Everything about the hitter made the world surrounding him almost appear as though little effort was required. Inwardly, he knew it was a false air, but one he would willingly take for the moment.

“Hey, do you think Mrs. Pots still works here? I really want strawberry pancakes in the morning. No one cooks like her.” Wally asked. The real name of said cook was Ms. Steinhoffer. There was absolutely no resemblance to the cartoon character, so he had no idea why Wally called her this since primary.

“You do realize that if we stay the night, my father will want to eat breakfast with us. It’s not something I’ve ever personally enjoyed,” Nigel comment as he slowed his car at the iron gate. The security guard waved him through, but he didn’t speed back up. The road leading to the estate was long, but the brush gave poor visibility. The lights were brighter at the end of the neatly kept drive that opened into the decadent view of the manicured front of the southern style estate. The home was far too large for their small family. If it wasn’t for the live-in staff, twelve of the thirty bedrooms would still be empty. 

“Yeah, that would suck.” And there went Wally’s attention. He had his cheek pressed up against the glass like a happy Golden Retriever… if said Golden Retriever looked like a Tolkien elf.

There were at least seven valets working the party, which meant there wasn’t a lot of time to say what he needed to. “We need to talk about something important.”

Wally twisted in his seat, that easy golden-boy smile didn’t exactly reach his eyes. “Is this about Lizzy? Are you finally asking Lizzy to officially tie-the-knot?” 

“What?” The comment completely threw him off guard. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Why in the world would Wally bring her up? “Please tell me you don’t think Lizzy and I are still together? We broke up in primary school. That was nearly a decade ago!”

“Okay, okay. Sheesh. You’re a little moody today,” Wally shifted his weight again, like a child craning his neck to look at Christmas lights, forcing Nigel to compete again for his attention. “I love these parties. You never know who’s on the guestlist. That’s the only reason we’re still friends, Nigel. You let me tag along on these things. I wonder if any famous people are going to show up again.”

Nigel sighed. Wally had a knack for changing the subject at the drop of a dime. Too good at it, actually. Had his earlier statement made Wally nervous? “Yeah. Okay. About that thing I wanted to talk to you about—"

The car door clicked open, startling him. He hadn’t seen the valet walk up to his car. He dropped his keys into the man’s open hand and walked around to the sidewalk, but Wally barely waited for him at the marble steps leading up into the porch. The smell of scented candles filled the air and little white lights were wrapped up the thick marble railing and around the lion statues and brush to look like little glow bugs. All the warm light from numerous sources gave the blond a halo. His large green eyes radiated his excitement. It was obvious that he missed his moment with Wally.

Immediately, his name was called; _Mr. Uno_ just like his father. He greeted people, shook hands and promised to circle back around. He knew he couldn’t keep Wally on a leash all night, which made him both grateful that his friend was independent and a little concerned what Wally would get into without supervision. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Wally asked, as they entered the foyer. The chandeliers were all on, and the open, adjoining rooms sparkled with their golden decorative hues.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Nigel said as a small group of lawyers made their way over. He braced himself for the boring conversation heading his way.

“Awesome. I’m going to grab something to eat and perch somewhere high on lookout.” Wally started towards the left where the double doors lead into a decadent foyer with Persian rugs, ivory statues and a long red oak table covered in lace with numerous plates of food. 

Nigel caught his friend’s arm before Wally could retreat slide into the crowd. “This isn’t a mission. You can chill and enjoy the party.”

Wally threw his head back, laughing. “Whatever you say, boss.”

He watched his friend slide into the mix of guests. Despite his wayward appearance, he fit right in. Many of the narcissistic guests present followed Wally’s movement; like he was a dancing light in this nightmare of boredom. Wally knew how to entertain. He knew how to grasp everyone’s attention. His social skills were a little more subtle here, transpiring into simple flirty teasing. 

Nigel felt his attention constantly drifting to Wally. If his best friend slipped out of his sight for a second, there was a growing panic, and not because he thought Wally would do something to embarrass him, it was something more. Something dark. Something possessive. 

Wally’s rut. 

He’d been watching his friend so closely after what they went through. Looking for any small sign of submissive behavior. It wasn’t overly obvious.

Which left him only half listening to the people talking around him. He wasn’t interested in business. He wasn’t interested in politics. He wasn’t interested in anything circling this circuit of space that he occupied, making his rounds, greeting people he met once a year. These people would further his career. He had to make face for the Uno reputation. 

How many drinks had he spotted Wally getting from the punch bowl they weren’t supposed to be touching? Three…. Four? Wally didn’t look drunk. He talked so animatedly already; it was hard to spot any change in his behavior. 

“Good Lord, Nigel, you haven’t answered a single text message today,” Monty Uno, his father, cornered him next to the window. The man was still two inches taller than him, with his brown hair combed back and mustache neatly trimmed. His cold gray eyes matched his persona. 

He probably could have starved off the interaction for another hour if he’d actually been circulating. Damn. “Sorry. I sent a text when we arrived.” 

“Please tell me you invited someone new this time; left your little hell’en childhood friend at home for once.” Monty’s acidic tone bled contempt.

Nigel glanced at his dad, almost willing to let him carry on, but decided it wasn’t worth the headache. “Wallabee Beatles has a great deal of potential.”

“Abigail Lincoln being your front runner would be the better choice for networking. All things considered, Wally has a bad reputation for being a hothead and unpredictable.” Uncle Benedict followed his dry remark with a sip from his champagne flute. 

And none of that mattered, because he didn’t care for one god-damn member in his family. 

“The last I heard, he was suspended for fighting at school. Did he get reinstated?” Monty questioned. 

Nigel’s attention drifted across the room to Wally. It was a little predatorial since he’d been watching his friend this entire night. Two women hung on every word Wally spoke and laughed when he made a boyish gesture. 

“Your relationship with your friend is unhealthy. You need an omega girlfriend, someone you can bring to these events,” Uncle Benedict stated. His uncle was lithe, where his father was stocky. His uncle had black hair like his grandmother while his father had the light brown hair like his grandfather.

“Yes well, I’m married to my work, so I don’t have time to build an empire, reproduce and then cheat on my wife, like you did, dad. Excuse me.” People touched his arm, trying to pull him into their conversation. Nigel moved past them and caught the end of the conversation.

“… that’s what I said!” Wally commented. The women laughed a little too shrill, touching him, unnecessarily. 

Nigel was utterly surprised at his annoyance. Lately, everything revolving around Wally left him jealous. “Hey. I changed my mind. I really don’t want to stay.”

Wally nodded. Everything about him seemed so calm. “Awesome. Want to go to the sports bar? They’re protecting the punch bowl a little too adamantly here.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Nigel muttered. He let Wally lead them through the crowd, fighting the strong need to to see if his father watched them. He couldn’t breath until they made it through the front door. A crowd still lingered, and the conversation was nearly a white noise, something that could easily go overlooked like the hum of bug wings or electricity through a naked bulb. 

Wally continued to lead them down the steps, completely blind to the way Nigel remained hyper aware of his surroundings; an alpha that was far too focused on his mate. “That was fun. I hope you had a chance to try the kabobs. They were so delicious. I’m going to have to go running tomorrow to work off some of the food.”

“I didn’t have a chance to eat,” Nigel admitted. He sucked a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. He could conquer that tiny, animalistic voice in his head that whispered; _mate now and worry about it later. Claim Wally in front of all these people so they know he belongs to you._

There was an aura of energy around Wally, it was always there, and instantly made Nigel happy. He couldn’t explain it either, it was just the way Wally looked at the world.

Wally glanced at him, and something sparkled in his green eyes. “Then it sounds like we’re going to the sports bar after all. I really could go for some sliders.”

“You’re still hungry?” Nigel asked, dubious. 

Wally shrugged. “I’m an athlete. What do you expect? Besides, I train like six hours a day and there isn’t a lot of time to eat.”

“So you binge at night?” That was something new. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure how often he saw Wally at night. 

Wally laughed. It was a good sound, light and carefree. He wanted to taste that laugh straight from Wally’s lips. “Yeah, I guess you can call it that.”

“That’s exactly what it is.” Nigel could feel the early stages of his oncoming rut. It itched under his skin, not horribly, but enough to be noticeably annoying. They needed to chat so Wally understood why he was disappearing for three days. 

 

oOo

 

“Your rut is coming!” The statement held an ounce of curiosity and a very little bit of anxiety. 

“Yes.” Nigel fought the desire to reach across the table and touch him. He should end this. Every day, his heart swelled with pride and happiness when Wally walk into the room. It was an alpha pride over his mate. Everything inside him screamed danger, especially after seeing his dad and uncle.

Wally nodded, smearing a couple of fries with ketchup and shoving them into his mouth. “Cool. So we’ll just go back to the clinic. That room is practically mine, anyways.”

“I’m going this alone,” Nigel said, not prepared for the hurt thrown his way. 

Wally visibly swallowed hard. Betrayal sank his spirit like a tank. “So… uh… you are doing the omega house or something?” 

Nigel inwardly sighed. He never lied to his team. He wouldn’t start now. “I usually do—”

“Yeah! Of course, duh, right? That makes sense.” Wally shoved more fries into his mouth and took a too large of a bite from his hamburger. The kid was having a meltdown. 

“It’s only for three days.” Nigel didn’t expect this information to make a difference. 

Wally shook his head, breaking eye contact. He barely swallowed his food. “You don’t get it do you?”

“I get it, Wally, but you aren’t an omega. I can’t control myself and I will hurt you.” Nigel could remember fragmented moments of his rut, the complete consumption to breed, to take, to mate, to protect, to own, to nest, to become a father…. He’d seen his omega partners, bruised arms and hips, exhausted out of their minds; and utterly intoxicated from the continuous fucking and orgasms.

Wally rolled his eyes. “I play football, wrestle and cage fight with alphas outside my weight class. I think I can handle you.”

Nigel steeled himself for this conversation, because apparently this was heading towards a disagreement. “You should know, better than anyone, how rough it is being a bottom when your body wasn’t made for it. You said it yourself, taking a knot almost landed you in the hospital.”

“Fuck your boy scout bullshit, Nigel! I spent mine with you,” Wally growled. He held his ground, glaring across the table, but the hurt was bone deep and didn’t disappear under his radiating anger.

“I was completely in control of that situation. Wally, I’m extremely aggressive in my rut. I don’t think I would stop mating you even if you were badly hurt,” And, he had no doubt that during that alpha rut, instincts would prevail and he would not only try to breed his best friend, he might try to claim him. With Wally an alpha, there was no real fear of him getting pregnant, or being claimed, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

Wally genuinely laughed. “Yeah, mate, you’re aggressive alright. So aggressive. It’s scary how _aggressive_ you are.”

His hitter mocked him before pushing a couple more fries into his mouth. Nigel could have pointed out his high testosterone levels and his apex score card. He could have mentioned that his team had been specially chosen because they tested subservient under the leadership of an apex alpha. He didn’t want to start a pissing contest with Wally when they weren’t in the right place to let it run its natural course.

Nigel slipped a couple twenties onto the table under their bill and stood, indicating Wally should follow him. “I want to have sex with you before my rut.” 

Wally’s brows knitted. “What?”

“I want to knot you, but if we do this, it has to be before or after my rut. I’m not going to risk my _nature_ hurting you indefinitely.” He brushed his fingers down Wally’s lower back as he pushed his best friend ahead of him when they slid between the tightly packed tables. It was such a small gesture, easily overlooked, but Wally felt it and visibly softened. 

“Okay. Yeah. Tonight.” Wally didn’t sound so brave. The little masochist wasn’t even approaching this with boundaries or guidelines on how not to hurt his body. 

“Tonight, you’re wearing a dilator,” Nigel answered when they got out the door and into the parking lot. It was considerably quieter, and their voices had a better chance of carrying. It was something they had to be super careful about.

“Dilators are stupid!” Wally answered.

“This isn’t up for negotiation.” Nigel said. He would have to ask Cody the best practice for knotting another alpha. He hadn’t taken any of the reading material offered and now he regretted it.

 

oOo

 

Nigel threw his clothes into a pile when the bathroom door opened. Wally looked ten times shyer now, keeping a black bag at his side, practically hidden. His blond hair fell over his bare shoulders almost mid-chest. His firm, sleek body with its fine musculature allowed Wally to almost pass as beta. 

Wally threw his hair over his shoulder and Nigel couldn’t help but follow the movement. The bathroom was already a small space, but now, they were breathing each other’s testosterone and it made him hungry as fuck. He wanted to devour his smaller friend who didn’t quiet reach the same weight class as him for wrestling and boxing. 

“Here’s your stupid request,” Wally said, handing over the bag. 

“Strip,” Nigel ordered. He could be a patient about this. He really could, though his attention shifted straight to Wally’s fingers on his belt as he unlatched it, then unbuttoned his pants. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of both his pants and dark blue sport briefs and shoved them down. His shaft bobbed free, semi-erect and growing under Nigel’s inspection. 

“If you like it, we can go straight to the reason we’re both here,” Wally said, bold as fuck as his eyes dropped to Nigel’s crotch. 

Nigel chuckled as he went through the bag, quickly understanding why it was heavy. There were five sized silicon dilators options, the first one had a narrow girth with an early adolescent knot. Given Wally’s track record and bad decisions, they could move onto the next size, which was still considerably smaller than his own. He went with the third largest. Wally could wear it for a moment and then they’d switch it out in the morning for the next size. It wasn’t a great idea, but it would at least get his best friend ready for his shaft. 

He laid the selected dilator on the counter when hands wrapped around his stomach from behind. “Did you ever use these?” 

“Nope. Cody insisted I have them in case I had the urge… blah, blah, blah, safe sex…. Blah blah blah, medical mambo jumbo. Bullshit.” Wally nuzzled against his shoulder, his fingers played up his chest, rolling over his nipples until they became tight buds. Wally’s throbbing manhood pressed at his thigh. Despite not being an omega, Nigel swore he could still smell his best friend’s masculine interest. 

He allowed Wally to shift them around and push him up against the door. His best friend slid to his knees and nuzzled his aching shaft, smearing precum over his lips and tongue. Those sinful green eyes stared up at him, his desire was so abundantly clear. He thought about stepping back and gaining control of the space between them again, but Wally was gorgeous like this, completely subservient. His brain was too close to a rut to argue this. 

Wally circled his tongue over his piss slit, then down the underside of his shaft. His mouth was so warm as he suckled at his sac, teeth gently grazing at the skin. “Can I change your mind about the dilator?”

Nigel dropped his head back as he laced his fingers into Wally’s hair to keep his movements controlled. “Not up for discussion.”

His cute blond friend drew off the tip of his shaft, lips swollen. “I love the way you taste on my tongue.”

Nigel caught Wally’s wrists when his best friend started to tighten his hold over his knot, repeatedly going over it with his fist to stimulate it. He could feel it to his core how close he was. “Don’t even think about it.”

“What are you so afraid of?” Wally humored, letting Nigel’s shaft pop free from his mouth so the tip left white, milky streaks across his lips.

“You’re killing me, kid.” Nigel coaxed Wally to his feet long enough to drag them into the shower before letting his hitter sink back to his knees, chuckling. Damn, the kid knew he was right where he wanted him. 

He pressed his hands against the wall to keep from grasping Wally and forcing his best friend down on his shaft. His balls drew up and an explosion of bliss erupted from deep within. Wally let his shaft pop free from his mouth almost immediately, thick rivets of semen dripped down his chin and over his bare chest. He was trashed, leaning his forehead against Nigel’s thigh, letting Nigel’s continuous sperm splash down on his shoulders, coating him as his long fingers remained wrapped around his leader’s swollen knot.  
Wally sat, forehead against Nigel’s hip and a hand between his thighs, as hard and muscled as any professional athlete. In the quiet of the room, he could hear Wally’s labored breathing and the way his hand worked over his hard flesh. Wally came with a groan, biting into Nigel’s thigh as hot semen splattered over his leg and foot. His hitter’s shoulders remained tense as he continued to orgasm. 

Only when he went still, did Nigel drop a hand on his best friend’s head and gently nudged him to look up. Wally’s smile was slow, and eyes hazed. He looked perfect like this. “Knot me.”

Nigel ran his hands through his hitter’s long hair, playing the silken strands between his fingertips, before encouraging him to stand. His balance remained shaky at best. “I’m going to, babe. You’re going to get my knot.”

He’d promised this a million times to omegas in the past. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Wally might just be his pot of gold, his long-awaited true happiness, yet it would always remain a secret. At best, they’d be able to sneak away from facility housing, but in an alpha dominated environment, someone would likely smell sperm on Wally that would easily mark him as a knot-boy. 

Nigel turned his hitter to face the wall, then rolled his fingertips down his best friend’s spine. The muscle in Wally’s shoulders bunched as he sighed and painted the wall with his mini orgasm. Nigel’s own alpha flow marked the back of Wally’s muscular buttocks, beautifully. He smeared his fingers with sperm before he pressed his fingers between Wally’s cheeks and circled around his tight, puckered hole. 

“Do you finger yourself?” Nigel pressed his body against Wally’s side, so he could feel every shiver from his best friend’s orgasm. They were short bursts, offering a little more to what was already inside the _omega_ body when properly knotted.

“I tried a few times, but it doesn’t feel right.” Wally looked over his shoulder at him, green eyes swimming with his dark desires. “Get on with it, Nigel. Fuck me already. I’m not going to break.” 

“Stop whining, kid, or I’ll treat you like a bloody omega,” Nigel said, giving his best friend a playful bite on his shoulder. His tongue pressed against hot skin. He wanted to take ownership over more of this new roadmap. 

Wally dropped his head back, eyes squeezed shut. “Fuck yeah. You gonna spank me when I don’t call you master?”

He wrapped his fingers in Wally’s hair and lead him into a hard kiss, all teeth and hungry tongues. He could taste himself, made better by his hitter’s complete submission to the rough treatment. Nigel pressed his fingers through the first ring of muscle and Wally clamped down on his digits, painfully tight. His best friend sighed into his mouth, forgetting to kiss or even breath for a second. It had to hurt his hitter, because the muscle that held his fingers still, were almost crushing. 

Nigel scissored his fingers before adding a third finger. He played with his sphincter, crocking his fingers so they’d rub his prostate and catch at his rim. Wally regrouped quick, riding his fingers. Their small space now smelled like them and sex. 

Nigel pulled his fingers free and drew them up over the come that coated his hitter’s thigh. He took the dilator sitting on the shelf and lubricated the silicone. “Are you ready?” 

Wally chuckled into his arm. “You going to fuck me now?”

Wally was relentless so Nigel did the only logical thing left, he eased the tip of the toy into his hitter. To his surprise, his friend was only tight for a second before relaxing back on the slick tip, taking the entire girth of it, even when it stretched wide to accommodate the bulbous replicated knot. 

“Fuck!” Wally hissed, sucking in air like someone who stubbed their toe. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Nigel was more than prepared. His decade plus years as a team lead taught him how to expertly read his people. 

“No.” He didn’t immediately move when his sphincter winked shut over the false knot.

Nigel gave his shoulders an encouraging squeeze before reaching over and flipping the shower on. His body got the worst of the cold spray. “Are you going to be okay with this tonight?” 

“Peachy, mate. Not a worry on this end.” He remained still; voice almost muffled as he talked into his arm. All his muscle strained as he struggled to find a moment of piece with the invasion on his intimate body parts.

“You’re going to need a safe word.” It was obvious that his friend lied to him. 

“Right.” The tension in his hitter’s body lessoned enough for him to turn around and face the shower properly. Maybe Wally would adjust.

“I’d like to wash you,” Nigel said.

Wally blushed and shrugged his shoulders, taking the soap from his hand. “I’m not an omega, Nigel. But I’ll let you cook me dinner.”

“You have to be kidding. You’re not still hungry…” Nigel sighed. This felt right… so very right.


	7. Chapter 7

Nigel rolled onto his back and turned off his alarm. It took forever to fall asleep last night, even after his knot deflated. His shaft remained sensitive and he wanted to knot his best friend, to feel Wally from that new angle inside, when his orgasm hit. 

Exhausted, he dragged himself out of bed and grabbed his slacks and button-down shirt. He grabbed all his books and felt a little guilty that he didn’t study. When he was ready to face the rest of the household, he threw his door. Noise floated up from down below.

The smell of fresh coffee lead him down the staircase and into the kitchen. His entire team sat at the table, their mobiles in hand. Abby drank coffee, Kuki had tea and Hoagie had Mountain Dew. Wally leaned back in the chair, stiffly, obviously still wearing the dilator they’d slid in last night. He drank a Red Bull and had a granola bar in front of him. It wasn’t his usually athlete breakfast. 

Nigel poured coffee into his travel mug, then turned to eye his crew again. When no one said anything, he decided to jump straight into business. “Wally.”

He jerked his chin upwards towards the second floor and Wally slid out of his chair, a little stiff and slow. They barely made it out of the kitchen when the low voices and soft teasing began. It made Nigel feel comforted that his team had no problem with this. Maybe their existence as a couple wouldn’t be so lonely, if he allowed it to go that far. He was still afraid it would be lonely and extremely hard on his hitter. 

When they made it to the bedroom, Nigel shut his door and sat his drink on the desk. He pulled out the pouch of dilators and dug through them again. “We’re going to move you up to the next dilator size.” 

Wally didn’t move. “Again? It’s a lot less fun doing it this way.”

“But it’s safer, so drop your shorts gorgeous.” Nigel ordered. He wanted to kiss the surprise off Wally’s lips until his hitter melted into him like he had last night.

Wally blushed, but slowly worked his belt open. “I take it, you want to do this yourself?”

Nigel picked the next size up, still a little smaller than what he was packing, and he was more than worried with Wally’s alpha nature that the muscle inside his rectum wouldn’t stretch enough to take it. He’d be damned if he tore anything in his best friend, He couldn’t live with himself.

He hooked his finger around the loop plug and pulled with care. There was a little resistance, but Wally sighed, and the plug slid lose. Nigel dropped it to the side and lubed the next one. Wally kept his head down, not even wanting to look. Maybe his hitter wasn’t all brass knuckles like he pretended. 

“This is sizably larger,” Nigel started, almost wanting to warn Wally that he was still larger, but the warning died on his lips. His hitter would still do this no matter what, which meant it was up to Nigel to make sure he didn’t hurt himself.

Wally nodded, but the tension in his back spoke volumes on his comfort level so Nigel circled his hitter’s hole with his lubed finger, setting the toy on his desk as he worked his fingers into the swollen pucker. The previous dilator had worked his rim open enough to make it less tight, but just by the press of his digits, the muscle still had a deathly grip. He kissed his best friend’s shoulder, and with his other hand, he reached around and stroked the blond to full hardness.

Wally’s tension shifted into desire as he spread his legs wider and shoved his hips outward. “What are you doing?”

Nigel took his slick fingers, running it over Wally’s veined masculinity, feeling the heat of his organ as he went farther down, cupping his ball sacs and mentally measuring their weight. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I never thought I’d be the one to say this, but won’t this make us late for school?” Wally asked. His tone remained surprisingly innocent. 

Nigel chuckled against his best friend’s neck and Wally shuddered, his hips moving back to meet the gentle thrusts of Nigel’s hand. “There’s a first time for everything.”

Wally bit his lip and groaned trying to ride the two fingers that scissored in and out of him. Nigel pressed upward on the tight buddle of nerves in Wally’s hole and the kid cried out. A hot mass of semen coated Nigel’s fingers and desk. It was warm, milky and perfect for making babies. 

He slid the larger toy into Wally’s channel as his best friend kept riding his orgasm out. Without his knot being triggered, his cock would soften, and he wouldn’t have to spend the next amount of time alone from the constant ejaculation. 

Nigel kissed his forehead. “Go get yourself cleaned up and ready for school. I’ll clean this up.”

Wally was alpha putty, all warmth and submission after his orgasm. “This isn’t comfortable. I can’t go to class like this.”

“You’ll go to all your classes, take your notes, go to gym and afterwards, we’ll head out to the hotel tonight,” Nigel said. He needed to adjust his own growing interest, but his hands were slick from lube and come. 

Wally jerked to attention. “Tonight? We’re doing this tonight?”

“Unless you’d like to wait.” Though waiting was dangerous. His rut would be coming any day now and he’d have to leave. After his rut, when he could think clearly, he’d know doing this in the first place was a huge mistake. He was risking Wally’s health so he could fuck his alpha best friend, the same best friend he’d had a crush on for as long as he could remember. 

Wally shook his head; his beautiful cheeks were bright pink and his blond hair framed his sharp, masculine lines. He looked like a Sidhe fey, or at least how the artists portrayed these creatures, if they’d been real. “Should I meet you there?”

“No, we’ll go together,” Nigel said. The alpha part of him wanted his object in the same space he inhabited so he could keep a very close eye on him. He had every intention of mating Wally like one would an omega, which left him possessive. 

The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough. 

 

oOo

 

Wally was waiting by his car when he got out of class. The blond stretched his lithe body and threw his award-winning cocky grin at him. Those green eyes were brighter than the first blades of grass poking up through the snow. He was so feral, free and dangerous like a basking Komodo Dragon.

And Wally was his. He knew that now. The kid would follow him to the grave, so he’d have to be careful for Wally’s sake, not to let his dad or uncle get anywhere close to this one.

“You skipped gym,” Nigel started with a reprimand, though in his heart, he really didn’t find fault in his hitter skipping their training. It’d be both their luck if the dilator got dislodged while he was wrestling. 

Wally shrugged. “Yeah, I was going to, but something came up.”

It was the half smirk and the downward nudge that kept Nigel from asking anything farther. They got into the car and he turned the engine on. Wally immediately hit the dial to the rock station and leaned back. He already lost his tie and the first three buttons on his shirt were loose, exposing the expanse of his lean, muscular chest.

Wally discarded his coat into the back seat and started to unbutton and roll up his sleeves. Watching those fingers dance with precision over his arms, made Nigel’s breath quicken. His conscious warred with his alpha determination. Wally had tried killing himself. It’d been unsuccessful, but it made him wonder just how hardheaded was his little alpha friend? 

“I grabbed a few things for the day,” Nigel offered in way of breaking the silence as they eased onto the freeway heading out of town.

“You only rut for a day?” Wally asked. The late evening sun came in through the windows giving his head a golden aura. Even with the air on, he could smell his best friend’s masculine cedarwood body wash and shampoo. His constant enthusiasm for outdoor sports gave his skin a golden hue.

The question threw him off-guard. “My rut is out of the question.”

According to the articles he read on the dark web, the reason Wally tore with the other alphas, was that the alphas were probably stroking their knots in and out of his body like they could with an omega. An alpha’s body wasn’t elastic and didn’t have the ability to adapt like that, only catching once they were too inflated to pull back out. It made him sick thinking Wally was bleeding for days, too afraid to see a doctor about it.

He ignored the hurt look Wally threw him, letting his attention drifted out at the city, and then when they got on the freeway, he watched the cars. He looked good lounging in the seat like a sunbathing cat. His legs were open, and tailbone tucked, like he was trying to escape the pressure of the dilator. 

It took forty minutes to get out of the city and another forty to get to the little dingy motel in a small nowhere truck stop. Prostitutes hung around the office door, trying hard to garnish attention with the few truckers that stopped to talk with them. Over twenty large semi-trucks were parked in the lot behind the gas station.

A couple dozen regular cars, and a few vans that had blackened windows, urban camped closer towards the motel. A lone restaurant hung farther out, a very old looking establishment that needed paint, but the windows were clean, and it had a little garden and dried up fountain. There were stops like these every sixty miles between the cities, and a couple of the towns were nothing but this and a few campers that served as homes for the employees. 

“Stay,” Nigel said. Wally only shrugged and turned his attention to his mobile phone. 

Nigel’s nerves felt shot. He refused to think about all the dark outcomes that came when alphas got caught with other alphas. This was love. It wasn’t wrong.

So why did it scare him so badly? 

“A room with one bed,” Nigel said, handing over his driver’s license. Times like these, he probably should have had Wally get the room. He knew for a fact that his friend had at least two fake ids with matching credit cards.

The man quoted the price and he handed over his credit card, signed an agreement and took the key. Wally’s attention was across the lot when Nigel returned to the car. Even the rock music that blared life into their space, hardly fixed the tension. 

“You can say no. This isn’t something I’d force you to do,” Nigel said as he pulled the car around the back and parked by the staircase. A gated pool loomed empty of residents, but the aftermath of a party remained as a couple beer cans floated in the water. 

“I’m not a delicate flower, Cap’. You don’t have to treat me like one. Besides, if it helps your guilt, I want this more than you.” Wally jumped out of the car with his backpack before Nigel could even comment.

A very large part of Nigel’s conscious said that they weren’t on the same page, but he couldn’t figure out what it was that bothered him. He thought he knew what Wally needed, a possible relationship with a dominant alpha, but then his friend went and acted like this should mean very little. God, Wally drove him nuts in so many ways.

He got out too, and took the lead when he walked past Wally, heading upstairs. There were no prostitutes on this side, considering they faced the back lot that looked out into the unfenced forest. He stuck his key into the door and pushed it open. 

He wasn’t expecting much, and he wasn’t disappointed. The red carpet was outdated and stained. The walls had gold wallpaper from the seventies and an entire wall was a giant mirror. There was no television, just a dresser a couple chairs and a queen bed. 

Wally dropped his things in a chair while Nigel took a little more time putting out the extra water and hearty snacks. He turned around when he heard the shower running. 

A second later, his hitter stuck his head out of the open door, naked and with the braids pulled out of his hair. His shoulders were broad, stomach lean and muscled. The v-junction of hips lead to a semi-stiff shaft. The base of said shaft had darker blond hair that was neatly trimmed. “You’re coming right?”

It was the quickest shower of his life, probably Wally’s too, as they soaped their bodies down and rinsed off. The soap was mild and couldn’t mask Wally’s natural infused scents; warm fields, sun kissed leather footballs, coconut sunblock and strawberry sex wax for his surfboard. 

They were both still damp when they dropped into the stiff bed. He swore the cheap mattress would malign the experience, but when their lips brushed, he stopped thinking about the ratty, itchy bedspread and the mildew scent that clung to the air and pillows. His focus was on how hot Wally’s skin was, like he took the sun home with him. There was nothing soft pushing back when he laid over the athletic body, hardened from hours of training and playing rough. 

Wally was a loud, hot-headed prat that turned into putty underneath him. He kissed his best friend again, tasting his lips and then his rough jawline with his whitish five-o’clock shadow. His damp, blond hair fell over the pillow, seven inches longer than any male alpha would dare wear their hair. Even Nigel kept his brown hair short and combed over; sometimes up if he was going on a date.

He moved lower, nibbling on Wally’s shoulders, catching the muscle between his teeth. Wally moaned, opening his legs so Nigel could slot between them. He moved farther down, licking over his right nipple before pulling the small nub into his mouth and teasing it. Wally caught him behind the head, holding him close, liking the nipple play. 

 

oOo

 

Nigel didn’t move, though his hands remained firmly on Wally’s hips. Wally glanced over his shoulder at his best friend. He knew Nigel’s apex test scores, though he had never seen his lead go completely alpha. There’d been a few fights in the cafeteria when they were younger; older alphas trying to back his lead into the corner. It never ended will for either, because Nigel didn’t back down, but he didn’t turn into a killing machine.

Nigel looked afraid now. Afraid that he’d break him. Afraid that this would change his pecking order within his family’s company. Those gray eyes were alert. His lips were pressed into a pensive frown.

“Do it,” Wally whispered, breathless. Not for the first time, he felt unnerved by his friend’s lack of ease.

Nigel walked on eggshells with his dad. He had, a few times, made it sound like his alpha father had ties with the mafia and a couple extremist groups. Like Monty’s personal relations allowed him to bulldoze obstacles, but Nigel kept examples vague.

He shifted enough so he could reach up and catch Nigel’s chin, pulling his best friend over the top of him. The heat from their naked bodies sent excitement through him. He vaguely wondered if this was something Cody would have wanted him to check in with first, before jumping into, but a large part of him refused to be trained. 

“Hold on.” Nigel slid off the bed and went over to his backpack, grabbing something from the side pouch. 

It took a second for Wally to figure out what it was. He wanted to argue the use of a condom. He wanted to feel his best friend warm sperm drooling out of him again, but Cody had warned during group therapy that excessive alpha sperm could lead to unwanted conversions. It had to be a lot, like the copious amounts of sperm during a rut by three or four alphas at one go, but this was a one-time deal. 

Nigel didn’t have to tell him that either. He could tell that his alpha mate would probably feel nothing but guilt from this. He lived his entire life following the rules. That’s why he was a great bounty hunter and a great man. He never stepped out of line, not even when handling a perp who deserved the death penalty.

Nigel returned to the bed with his hard shaft now covered to his barely inflated knot. “Turn over, kid. I want to see what we got.”

Wally’s toes curled with excitement. Nigel’s husky voice sent a thrill through him as he immediately turned onto his hands and knees and presented his ass to the alpha, like all the pornos he’d studied. This was hot to an alpha, right? Their brains naturally craved an omega. 

Not his brain, because he was fucked up, but Nigel was normal. 

Nigel needed to be pushed and if pretending to be an omega helped that push, he’d continue it, but moving around a bit made him aware of both the dilator in his bum and the older achiness from the cage fights. The bruises were starting to fade, his knuckles healed, and at least an over-the-counter pain reliever helped. 

“You don’t want to bareback? It’s not like we’ll be doing this again,” Wally lightly teased, wanting nothing more than for Nigel to claim mark him, a gesture that would mean absolutely nothing. In the end, Nigel _would_ bring an omega home to meet his family. 

The jealousy that statement caused, burned all the way down to his little liar toes. In truth, he wasn’t lying when he said he was sure he wanted this more than Nigel. He was playing up on apex tendencies, knew that Nigel wouldn’t want another alpha anywhere near his team. 

“Wally, you need to shut up now,” Nigel growled, but there was no heat in the statement. It felt good to have Nigel’s weight pressing down on him, complete ownership. 

He could never guess how much Nigel weighed, muscle was lean, but dense. His shoulders were strong, and his hips narrow. His long athletic legs came up to force Wally to open his legs more. His heat felt fantastic. Yet, Wally couldn’t get carried away and expect more than what Nigel was going to give him.

Nigel caught the plug and cautiously pulled it from his body. At first, it hurt, but he refused to let his best friend know. His body finally gave it up with a quick, long sigh. Nigel hummed under his breath, then something wet pressed against his hole before he realized it was Nigel’s tongue. 

“Oh-My-God, Nigel!” He shoved back onto the tongue that rimmed him. Nigel’s fingers stretched him more than he thought his body could take. The dilator was bad, but somehow, that tongue that occasionally licked lower, sucking on his balls, eased the discomfort. 

Wally blushed, burying his face. He was wrecked and it made him jealous as fuck thinking that omegas get this treatment all the time from his best friend.

“Relax,” Nigel bit and sucked a path over his shoulder blades, lining himself up. 

Those lithe fingers massaged him into bless before spreading Wally’s cheeks. Nigel’s mushroom tip felt huge, making a path into his body. He knew his captain would be large, saw it in the gym shower, but he hadn’t been ready for the way it would feel; a solid warmth that pushed him to the limits.

Nigel continued to massage his sides, winded. “You have to relax Wally, or your muscles aren’t going to adjust.”

Maybe the pressure hurt him too. Wally willed his body to relax as Nigel slowly worked into him. His captain stopped every couple of inches to rub circles on his back until he remembered to breath and stopped clenching. It remained a little uncomfortable, but it didn’t hurt like it had in the past. He expected the tearing. He expected his guts to feel shoved back into his body.

This. Was. Nice.

Real nice.

So bloody nice that he really didn’t want to let go of Nigel. 

It took forever for his lead to bottom out.

Nigel’s gentleness made his heart flutter and when he was fully rooted, Wally felt a little more relief than he’d ever admit. His felt stretched and full. He could even feel where his friend was starting to inflate, and they hadn’t gone at it yet.

And he wasn’t scared because Nigel made a great call on the dilator. He always made great calls. He really _did_ trust him, even if he argued some of his demands. 

“Wally?” Nigel asked.

“I’m good.” That came out like a squawk. He was suddenly glad to be face down, so Nigel couldn’t see how red he was. 

Nigel continued to rub his sides. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Wally nodded his head, a little vigorous. He couldn’t remember the last two alphas filling him to a breaking point, but they’d still managed to rip him. His heart fluttered anew when Nigel’s shaft twitched inside him.  
His mind purred. 

He wanted this for so long. He only knew the feel of Nigel when they wrestled, and his lead had to use his whole body to push him into the mat. He’d wondered what it’d feel like doing this naked, legs spread and his best friend’s manhood in him. He needed this. 

“Start moving. Pleaaase!” Wally said. 

Nigel did, a little too slow, a little too keen on treating him like a glass doll. All the times they’d been on the field, cracking heads, sometimes each other’s and now his best friend wanted to be gentle. This close to Nigel’s rut, he knew how to fix that. He took a deep breath of the scent that radiated off his best friend.

“Alpha. Please alpha. You feel so good,” he moaned. 

Nigel gripped his hips, nails digging into his skin. “Wally, don’t—” 

“Please alpha. Please knot me. I want your knot so bad.” He continued even when his captain’s fingers pinched so bad that he knew he’d have bruises. He’d seen enough omega/alpha pornos to know this really flipped a switch in alphas… not him, but alphas like Nigel. So, he didn’t stop and he sure as hell didn’t let that little voice creep in that said Nigel was only alpha-curious, that this meant nothing to him. “Please fuck me. I need your come so badly.” 

Nigel growled. His hold changed. 

Every kinky dream of his came to light. Pain and pleasure exploded when Nigel pulled his entire length out and pressed it back in. He could barely catch his breath with how quickly his air was pounded out of him. 

The second Nigel’s knot started to grow; his best friend stopped hammering him. Instead, his rutting became tight and controlled. This wasn’t right. Alphas didn’t fuck like this, which scared him. Was Nigel trying to keep his knot from expanding? Did he decide against knotting another alpha? 

He jerked forward enough to dislodge Nigel’s knot, which hurt to no end like smashing one’s fingers in a door, then shoved himself back onto the alpha’s shaft. 

“Fuck!” Nigel growled, bent over him, fingers tight on his hips to keep him fully rooted, butt against pelvis, his lead’s pubic hairs bristly against his skin. His captain breathed hard against his shoulder; grip deathlike. 

Wally felt sick, instantly regretting his actions. He felt desperate though, afraid that Nigel would leave him like this, empty on the inside when he was so close to coming. He tried to encourage him with his hips.

“Wally, no. Be still. I’m going to give it to you, baby. Don’t misbehave.” Nigel’s tone was nothing short of patient. When Wally didn’t move, Nigel slid a hand lower, cupping his stomach. 

“Nigel,” Wally moaned, afraid to breath. 

His captain brushed his fingers between their body. There was pressure, though he didn’t try to penetrate with his fingers. “No blood. You’re okay.”

Relief filtered through Nigel’s body, instantly relaxing the tension in his hold. He picked up the short, contained rutting movements again. His knot instantly started to inflate more, so much so, that if he tried to yank again, he knew it would rip him apart. His best friend’s knot pressed up against the bundle of nerves and the pleasure started to vibrate under his skin like a quivering bell. 

He reached between his legs and wanked in time to the pace Nigel set. All the pressure built in his pelvis tightening his muscles. His toes started to curl, and his breathing became labored as he chased his desire. It was so close, right there at the base of his being. It wanted freedom.

He wanted it to be free. He wanted to orgasm hard on his best friend’s knot. 

It was so wrong. So dirty. So taboo. 

He wrapped his fingers tightly around his own knot, stimulating a tight hole. His knot instantly swelled to fullness, fighting for room in his tight grip. His breath caught in the back of his throat when his balls drew up and pleasure exploded like the _big bang_ creating a new world with a vastly new orbit. 

He saw stars. He could almost taste that searing white light. His conscious floated in space.

Nigel arched and cried out his name with a succession of creative expletives. He jerked his hips forward, pushing his shaft as far as it would go into Wally’s channel, sparking another orgasm, much smaller this time, but no less beautiful. 

He came down far too quickly but was met with the mini convulsions that alphas get when they were knotted and breeding an omega. Nigel was doing that to him! Inside him, and that stupid condom kept him from being completely full of his alpha best friend.  
Nigel shifted them so they could lay on their side with his leg open and drawn back over Nigel’s hip. His best friend was rubbing circles on his stomach and the kisses turned into light sucking on his clavicle.

God help him, Nigel spooned him close. Oh yeah, he was never going to like any of the pretty little omegas Nigel brought home from here on out. 

Fuck. His. Life. For falling in love with such a strait-laced boy scout.

Worst of all, he was quickly losing his high to his growing insecurity. This moment of happiness was only, _just that,_ a quickly dying moment.

 

oOo 

 

Monty Uno dropped the receiver back into the phone cradle and leaned back in his chair. He needed a drink, a line of cocaine and a punching bag. His son fucking did it. He ruined the life Monty had built for his family, for his prized offspring. 

Knuckles wrapped on his door before Benedict slid into the office. He wore his traditional black slacks and blue button-down shirt. His hair was combed over, and glasses framed his brown eyes. “Three new runners, one is high profile and works with the cartel. I’m putting Luis on this, since he has the best result with murders. If Luis brings the perp in alive, we get double the asking price… What’s wrong?” 

“We got a problem, Bennie. Nigel made a depraved decision and I need you to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Monty leaned forward in his seat, fingers laced so he didn’t clench his fists and betray the level of anger that poisoned his blood. He could taste it like molten lava at the back of his throat. 

Benedict leaned back in his seat, looking as exhausted as Monty felt. He never had children of his own, so Nigel was almost their mutual responsibility. It took a village. “What’s the situation?”

Monty sighed and released his hands so he could grab the whisky from the bottom drawer. “He checked into the hotel with his friend. That little blond he keeps bringing to parties.”

“ _That_ friend is an alpha,” Benedict said, eyes narrowing as the situation fully dawned on him. He sighed in the silence. “You mentioned once that you were afraid, they spent too much time together.”

He might be able to save his son’s reputation as long as Benedict got to him before the media caught wind of the story. They’d have to do major cleanup, make sure there was no proof who he’d been with. Hopefully no one recognized the kid.

“They could pass as each other’s shadow. They’ve been inseparable their entire lives; the only constant of all his relationships. Take a few agents out there and retrieve my son. I don’t care what you do with his friend, but make sure you make it impossible for him to come back,” Monty said.

Benedict nodded and stood. “I will keep this out of the media.”

“Bennie,” Monty said, rubbing the pain from his temples. This was a nightmare. No alpha wanted a defective child. “It’ll do you worse if Nigel sees any of this. Keep from upsetting my son.”

“I’ll be incredibly discreet,” Benedict said.


	8. Chapter 8

He tucked Wally’s hair behind his ear and kissed his beautiful shoulder. The desire to bite and claim remained strong. He knew his best friend would let him, which made the guilt of their situation worse. He knew what Wally wanted; he just didn’t know how to give it to him without tipping their hand. 

Wally looked over his shoulder with a lazy smirk. “Should we do this again?”

“Can’t.” Nigel answered, kissing Wally a couple more times to etch this moment into his memory. “My rut is coming. I need to get to a safe house.”

Wally sat upright. “Let’s go to Cody’s clinic! We could keep this party going for the next three days. Afterwards, we can get pizza, like we did back at the end of tournaments.”

“It’s a known fact that conversion camps flood an alpha’s system with sperm to kickstart the change. If on average an alpha spends fifteen to twenty cc of sperm per coupling and during a rut, they couple more than seven times within twenty-four hours, don’t you believe that would be well above what an alpha receiver should have in their system in one day?” Nigel tried for logic. Based on the look thrown at him, Wally refused to do the math.

“So, you’re going to couple a silicon toy then, right?” Wally asked, knowing full well how uncomfortable a rut would be without the help of a warm body.

Nigel walked over to the dresser and grabbed two bottles of water and a jerky packet. When he came back with his items, Wally took it with a smirk. He sat, unabashed, much like every alpha in the world after a good rutting. His flaccid cock hung over his large balls. His legs were open, and clearly still wet with a mix of semen and lube. 

“What?” Nigel sat on the edge of the bed; eyes trailed to the bedding. Despite the ugly bedspread colors, no deep red splotches stood out. He’d have to take a better look at Wally’s rectum to make sure nothing tore. His knot felt amply squeezed and still pulsed from the pressure, but the tingling slowly stopped. 

“You brought me a snack like I’m a mate or something,” Wally answered, drinking half the bottle before tearing into the bag to stuff jerky into his mouth. One thing was for sure, Wally didn’t have one subtle bone in his body.

“Yeah, I did. Listen. You can’t stay with me for my rut. The place I go to is a little—”

“Upscale? Afraid I’ll embarrass you at the LaRosa?” He was only half kidding, but he stopped chuckling at Nigel’s complete silence. He sat upright. “No way. You’ve got to be kidding me. Of course, the son of Monty Uno would have a palace with a built-in harem.”

Wally sank into the bed shoving more food into his mouth. LaRosa had tons of omegas waiting for a knot. It was a prestigious omega house that allowed alphas to sample the goods and eventually find their perfect mate. Any alpha with money went to LaRosa, where the omegas were clean and upscale. 

In fact, his dad really pushed this place because the omegas were the best of the best, performers, intelligent, cunning, beautiful, musically inclined, educated…

And yet, all of it lacked Wally, who tried really hard to hide his hurt. Maybe the jealousy went both ways. Nigel wanted to share as much as Wally apparently did; zilch. “We should shower.”

Wally nodded towards the shower. “You go first. I’m still eating.”

 

oOo

 

Nigel sat in the passenger seat, letting Wally drive him to the clinic. He knew keeping his alpha friend with him for this part was a bad idea. He saw the stress in Wally’s shoulders and the way his brows knit. He gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white. 

He should have grabbed a taxi and let Wally keep his car. Maybe he even should have taken Wally out for breakfast. That’s what alphas did when they were courting, and his best friend might appreciate the effort. Afterall, Wally was a little softer around the edges than one would initially believe.

“Wow. How many rooms do they have here?” Wally asked in awe, then under his breath he added; _how man omegas?_

Nigel decided the neither question warrant an answer. His best friend would only grow more anxious. “Do you want to go camping when I get out of here?”

Wally shrugged. “Maybe.”

When they parked, they both got out and Nigel caught Wally’s arm, stopping him. He’d kiss those beautiful cupid bow lips any day, but out in public, this close to their home, seemed like a bad idea.

“Keep the car and drive it around for a couple of days. You might really enjoy it,” Nigel said. He wanted to pull his little alpha closer. It took strength to let him go. 

“This type of car doesn’t fit my style. You know, it’s a little rich.” It was a dig, half spoken to him, the other half up at the four-story building.

Nigel inwardly sighed. He couldn’t lie to Wally about their different social economics being similar enough or that either of them would fit right into the others lifestyle. The one thing he didn’t have to lie about was that they’d been best friends for so long that he was positive they were perfect for each other. “Hey, kid, look at me. When I get out of here, we’ll talk about all this, okay.”

“Yeah, that’s what we’re going to do?” Wally rolled his eyes in show of how dubious he thought the comment was.

That caught Nigel off guard. “Yes.”

Wally licked his bottom lip, looking defeated. “Talking seems like a beta thing and I hate going around in circles.”

“Alphas and omegas talk things through too. Look, just let me get through this and I’ll figure out a way to make this work without hurting you physically and permanently.” Nigel promised, then squeezed his hands, before walking into the beautiful building with the wonder lavender scent and the water fountain up against the wall.

He didn’t look back, because he didn’t want to see his best friend’s heart breaking. 

 

oOo

 

Wally leaned against the wall and played with his phone, texting a couple assholes to see if anyone wanted to meet for fish, chips and beer. Even from right here, he could smell the lavender air scent every time someone opened the damn door. LaRosa had a lot of foot traffic, but mostly taxies and Ubers came to the heavily isolated building surrounded by massive, ancient trees.

He found himself wishing for the seventh time today, that he had a blunt. He was heading straight to the bars and knew several people who probably would have one. When he was sure Nigel was checked in, he kicked away from the building and walked through the double doors getting the lavender scent firsthand.

The place had a spa vibe. The little, red-headed beta running the front desk, wore a toga. There were no chairs upfront, which meant customers were shown straight back. The room was closed off with a single door. He had no doubt the door was locked. 

“Hey there sweetie. I have Nigel Uno’s keys. Can I leave them with ya?” he asked, giving his award-winning smile. 

Her pupils darkened and a blush spread across her cheeks. A beta’s tells were just as strong as an omega’s, minus the slick scent. “Of course, sir. Will you be staying?” 

He threw her a wink, though his spirit wasn’t behind the flirty gesture. “Naw. I have business to attend to. Just making sure my best mate gets home right.”

“Yes sir.” There was full disappointment, though in a building like this, a beta would be lucky to get much attention. He knew her level of disappointment though and sympathized with her as he walked away.

With his phone in hand, he knew he should call an Uber. Walking back would be incredibly stupid, but he wasn’t ready to join society and wake from the one day of bliss he had with his alpha best friend. So, he came out onto the two-lane road and walked along it. The traffic was few and far between, giving him a chance to be alone with his thoughts.

Said thoughts were nothing but poison, circling back to Nigel with a new omega every hour. In the end, Nigel would do what was fitting and chose a soft, compliant body made for knotting, over the much sturdier alpha physic. He tried to bury the thought, but it just wouldn’t stay down; Nigel with his limbs circling an omega, making her or him surrender to their gender. 

A car barreled around the bend and braked last second, centimeters from his legs. He dropped his phone and jerked back, heart hammering with his near-death experience. He was about to slam his palm on the Mercedes hood, when he instantly recognized the driver. 

His skin prickled, wanting to crawl right off his body as he walked around the vehicle. Few things made him panicky. Seeing that cold expression staring right at him; an expression he could no sooner read, but still made adrenaline and fear flood his bloodstream, did just that. “Good afternoon, Mister Uno.”

“Get in the car.” Benedict ordered, voice monotone yet deadly. His mirrored sunglasses reflected Wally’s startled face. 

Wally glanced at the man in the passenger seat and the two in the back. Bounty hunters, the ones that usually brought their bounties back severely injured and barely breathing. Life was simple when the only requirement was _alive._ “It looks a bit crowded, sir.”

The trunk popped open, loud in the quiet of the road. “I’m not going to ask you again, Wallabee.”

Trent, a tall bounty hunter, one that Wally had watched train Nigel on numerous occasions in the art of hand-to-hand, popped open his door and slid out. The hunter was well over six-foot-five, broad all the way across with muscle that could bend a railroad spike. His eyes remained guarded as he cracked his knuckles.

Fuck. He knew that look. The guy wanted to break his spine. 

Yeah, he fought alphas bigger than him, but most of them were sailors looking to blow off steam, not hunters trained to go against perps. He glanced back at the trunk, knowing in his heart that if he got in it, game over. He was fucked. 

The low spine tingle, empathy pain for what was coming, said his body already knew it was fucked. “I’ll call an Uber, sir. Where should I have it drop me off? A bakery perhaps?” 

Wally tried to keep his tone light. His words were breathy. The adrenaline made it difficult to think. It even made it difficult to control the way his hand shook while holding his mobile phone. 

“Throw him in the trunk,” Benedict ordered.

Wally sprung with the devil’s hounds on his heels. He veered straight into the forest, knowing that every second mattered. When the hunters caught up, and they would, he was going to taste his heart coming straight out of his mouth. They were going to bury him, and he hoped to God the culling was fast. 

His eyes burned with tears. The anxiety grew overwhelming. The sense of impending death, all too consuming. There was nowhere safe to go. Nowhere to hide and wait it out with the men so close on his heels. The trees swallowed noise, but he _felt_ them.

A body crashed into his side, taking him down hard enough to slam his head. His vision swam as the body put so much weight on his ribcage that he couldn’t breathe. Only when the body shifted enough to pull him onto his back, did his vision clear. Louie and all his three-hundred pounds of muscle straddled him. Trent stood at his feet and Parham to their right.

Close friends of the family… They knew. Of course, they knew. He had that sinking sensation the second he realized who was in the car.

Benedict walked into his line of sight with a tire iron resting on his lean shoulder. According to Nigel, the Unos didn’t parade with a weapon merely for shits and giggles. He was going to get fucked. Every ragged breath he took left him dizzy and disconnected.

“Wallabee Beatles, son to middle class immigrants. Very low-test scores, equally low grade-point-average. Constantly on corrective action plans between the school and the dojo trainers. It’s listed in your school records that you have oppositional defiant disorder.” Benedict shifted his weight with the iron bar. 

Wally tried to find a semblance of confidence. “You know what’s more boring than a history lesson? Someone reiterating a story you’re already familiar with.”

Benedict leaned down. “You know what else is interesting? Your medical records. You’ve been in therapy for a long time without resolve for your issue. I can fix this problem real quick, though.”

Benedict stood and nodded with his chin. Wally struggle only to have exceptional pressure placed on his joints. For one very brief second, he was sure something would break. Once he went still, they pulled him to his feet. It took seconds to realize they planned on undressing him.

He reared back and kicked as hard as he could, connecting with Louie’s shin. It earned him a hard backhand and a fist so high up in the gut that he felt the explosive snap of a rib. He barely caught his breath, but not without pain. By the time he could struggle again, he had his jeans and shirt off and they yanked his low-rise briefs off his hips. 

“Wait! Stop! Stop!” He tried to kick only to have the Louie’s forearm tighten on his throat. He saw stars, but he was aware of the callused hands on his hip. Someone shoved a finger into his anus, irritating the swollen and sore muscles.

“He’s been recently knotted, must have used a condom, no sperm.” Trent’s voice was hazy with the ringing in Wally’s ears. 

Louie shoved him hard to the ground and he tried to stand up, but the lack of oxygen to the brain left him disheveled, landing back into the dirt. Sticks pressed at his bare legs and bum. He coughed blood into the dirt and over his hands. If he’d eaten, he was sure he would have vomited. 

The phone rang twice before answered. “Good news. Your son hasn’t been altered. His friend, however, is most definitely a knot-boy.” 

“You know what to do,” Monty said. Cold. Hardened. 

Benedict disconnected the call. “You heard the man. Show the knot-boy his place.”

Wally raised a hand and the men surprisingly stopped. He had no idea that would work, but he was grateful. “What are you going to do with Nigel?”

“Nigel was never the problem. He’ll continue living his life without distractions,” Benedict answered. Those damn mirrored sunglasses reflected Wally’s current, ugly state. 

“And me?” Was there any point in really asking? 

He didn’t see the boot that slammed into his jaw. He didn’t see much of anything after that, but it didn’t push him into unconsciousness. The kicking stopped and he tried to stay in a tight ball with his arms up to protect his head. It hurt too much to even open his eyes as the men forced him to unroll. 

Benedict circled with the tire iron casually swinging. It was either coming down on his head or cartel style, he was going to have a lot of broken bones in seconds. With dread, he watched as the tire iron swung down on his right kneecap. 

The explosive impact stole everything. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t cry. He couldn’t breathe. He gasped for air, drowning on dry land. His consciousness tittered but wouldn’t go black.

Benedict bent down, sunglasses reflecting Wally’s bloody, bruised and swollen face. “You should have known better than to mess with Monty’s son. No one disrespects the family.”

Wally wanted to scream. He wanted to thrash and bite. The only thing he did was cry. He couldn’t move. The pain was unbearable. 

Benedict’s laugh lacked any real humor. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You bring your dirty troubles to America. I’d cut you up and feed you to our dogs, but Monty still needs you to fix a couple of things. You know, for Nigel’s wellbeing. And, well, he just really fucking hates you.”

The tire iron swung down, this time on his right thigh with the same crushing impact. Wally arched in pain and screamed despite the devastating pain that clawed at his very existence. Coldness creeped in, so cold that his veins and organs felt frozen. He stared at the trees, counting.

“Which hand?” Trent asked. The bounty hunters shifted around him. 

They let him go, but he couldn’t run. He didn’t even move, though the vibrations of the feet made him flinch. The movement only overwhelmed his very reality with the pain of his shattered body.

“Right hand. Monty wants his index and middle finger.” Benedict’s words felt far away now. 

Trent pulled small gardening sheers from his tactical belt and Wally squirmed for a hot second before the pain flooded his cells. With very few options, he fisted both hands and refused to open them when Parham slammed his right hand against the ground. The man pulled out his club and slammed it twice, once on Wally’s wrist and the second time on his hand. At the snap of bone, he immediately lost his ability to hold his fist. 

“There we go Wally, just like that. We only need two.” Trent lined the cutting sheers to the base of both fingers. The blades were sharp against his flesh, making him painfully aware how delicate the human hand was. 

He tried to brace himself. He felt the pressure, heard the sheers snap shut and the warmth that gushed over his hands. He couldn’t vomit again. His body didn’t try. Even the pain felt dulled by everything else going on in his system. It made him wonder how badly damaged his nerves were that the only thing he was aware of was the heat from his blood.

“He’s going into shock.” The comment followed two fingers pressed at his throat. He couldn’t tell who was there. He couldn’t smell the men past the stench of his own chemical stress. 

Wally was airborne and it fucking hurt. It hurt more than he thought he could deal with at this point as he was thrown over a hunter’s shoulder. He wanted to pass out. Maybe he did. Time kept passing in small segments that he could barely link together. 

 

oOo

 

Abby was clearly in the middle of something that left her more interested than the conversation. “No, he hasn’t been home yet. I thought you guys were at the clinic or something.”

He stood in one of the three private phone rooms equipped with a cushioned chair, table with a tray of perfumed paper and a pen. On the see-through glass door, a small sign read: All patrons must wear pants in the phone rooms.

“Let me speak with Cody,” Nigel said. His attention drifted to the game room just beyond the booth where alphas played pool, darts and a few cruise ships games with a handful of omegas. LaRosa had more omegas on staff than clients that came through the door, perhaps to give the gentle creatures longer breaks between the rut cycles. 

“Cody’s not here either,” Abby answered. For a brief second, he heard the rise in volume on the television and she cupped the phone to whisper something, which meant she wasn’t alone.

Nigel sighed, relieved. Obviously, Wally went to the clinic for the next couple of days. He probably didn’t want to be alone. That was good. “Okay. Thank you, Abs, just keep an eye on Wally when you see him. He wasn’t exactly pleased with all this.”

She huffed. “Don’t worry about Wally. He’ll get over it. He’s the least complicated person I’ve met… well, until we found out about his little situation, but we’re talking about the most adaptable person out there.”

Yeah. Except, she didn’t see the sheer amount of hurt in his eyes. “As long as he’s not down by the docks. I don’t want him getting hurt.”

The possessive part of his personality bristled at the thought of his best friend getting clocked by other alphas. He had to remind himself that said best friend was an alpha and Wally said numerous times that he can handle himself. The proof was in the pudding. The boy _took a licking and kept on ticking._

“It’s Wally, boss. That kid was born to collect bruises. He’ll be fine.” Abby promised. 

He wanted to keep her on the line, warn her of all his concerns, but the familiar pull in his crotch said he needed to hang up. So, he said his goodbyes and retreated to his room.

 

oOo

 

On the fourth day, Nigel took the coldest shower of his life, then the hottest, but the guilt didn’t wash clean. He wasn’t sure how omegas got into his locked room. Was it a moment of weakness? Even in a rut, he valued the need for full control, but he could have opened the door and invited them in.

Either way, he woke with three omegas wrapped around him, smelling as much like him as he did them and the guilt skyrocketed. It wasn’t uncommon for mated alphas to come to these places for their ruts, but he wanted to be better than that. He wanted to offer Wally everything he could because that’s what his best friend offered him; which included his safety and wellbeing. 

He got out of the shower and toweled off, using a powder substance on his skin that would neutralize all scents, including his own. He hated the powder, but he couldn’t risk bringing the omega scent back into their shared home. It would confirm an anxiety in Wally that he didn’t want to perpetuate. 

He dressed quickly, smiling a couple times at the thought of his best friend, the way he always looked so exotic with his Viking hairstyle and those vibrant green eyes. He couldn’t forget the way those strong hips pressed up against his, meeting his thrusts with hunger. He had to let Wally know he loved him. 

He pulled his bag over his shoulder and stepped out of his room. The hallway was empty and thankfully quiet, thanks to the well-padded walls. On his way home, he’d stop by the baker and get a pie. The thought amused him. He had no real idea how to court an alpha, though Wally was his. He could see it in his eyes. Still, he wanted to court his best friend. 

The little redhead at the front desk stopped him. “Oh, Mister Uno, your car keys.”

That surprised him. He took his keys and stepped out the door to see his car hadn’t been moved. He got in and drove the distance back into town, stopping at a diner for a quick, hearty meal: two hamburgers, fries, milkshake and Tex-Mex salad. 

He wasn’t surprised to find the house empty since it was a school week. He dropped his things in his bedroom and then headed straight to Wally’s room, needing his scent. He shoved the door open and walked straight to his best friend’s bed with every intention of drowning in Wally’s testosterone, maybe even stealing one of his hitter’s shirts and heading straight to the bathroom for another masturbation session to burn off a little excess energy. 

Despite the door being shut for the last couple of days, Wally’s scent wasn’t saturated here, which forced him to pull his mobile out to send a text to Abby. _Made it home. Where’s Wally?_

Abby immediately replied: _Not sure. Haven’t seen Cody either._

Nigel should have had an ounce of control. Afterall, that’s the only thing he’d been obsessed about after waking up and being sorely disappointed that in his rut haze, he allowed omegas into his room. Nothing, however, would keep him from seeing Wally after a four-day absence from his best friend. So, he made it straight to the alpha clinic and over to the receptionist who gave him access to the hidden clinic.

Thankfully, Cody hadn’t been in the middle of group therapy. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to wait before finding his best friend. 

Cody offered a smile as he dropped his clipboard to his side. The older student looked exhausted. “Hey Nigel, is everything okay?”

Nigel’s brows furrowed as a stone sank to the pit of his stomach. “I’m looking for Wally.”

“I haven’t seen him since the two of you took off over the weekend. I thought he’d still be with you.” Cody answered.

Nigel’s chest ached. Concern made his muscles tighten. Anger gnawed at his spine making his blood run hot. He had to break Wally of his habit of running to the docks every time something didn’t go his way. “I need to go.”

Cody caught his arm, every bit as concerned. Nigel appreciated that. Wally needed people in his corner because the world sure wouldn’t be if they ever got caught. “What’s going on?”

“I checked into LaRosa without Wally. If you haven’t seen him, he’s probably at the dock. I don’t like those odds.” He imagined the worse scenarios, like Wally getting a bad batch of APEX, or cocaine. 

Perhaps his hitter drank too much and decided to get into a fight or worst, got drunk and slept with an alpha who ripped him bad enough that he sat bleeding somewhere, too weak and scared to get to the hospital. Nothing was good in his head.

“I’ll come with you,” Cody said, leading the way down the hallway.

“I can do this alone,” Nigel answered. 

Wally was his subordinate. He could handle whatever mess Wally got himself into. 

 

oOo

 

Wally stood at a weird angle staring at the ground. It wasn’t comfortable with the thick cast that braced his entire right leg, pulling his body down at a painful, heavy angle. The cast that held his right arm laid on a strange wood plank with an adjustable leather strap that went over it. 

The pain tripled. In fact, everything hurt now that a few things were set and on track to fix. 

Also, he stunk like too much undiluted bleach. It was a scent he used to like. It was one of the better scents in the building, but not on his skin.

He’d been bathed once, that was as much as he could remember before waking up with overwhelming pain; a cast on his leg and wrist and his fingers sewn back on. He’d been shocked as fuck to wake up with his fingers bruised almost black at the base and purple all the way up. 

It had to be a joke, but there they were. He had no idea if they would just rot off with how badly the skin throbbed and the stench radiating off them. He still had no idea if they’d even work, given that the bandages didn’t allow for wiggling, but when the nerves involuntarily twitched, it hurt.

“What’s your name, kid?’ the warden’s sharp bark echoed in the small space, trying to brainwash him into giving a stupid number that he’d heard enough already. He always hated math, but now, he had a real hatred towards a stream of numbers.

“Fuck you, sir,” Wally answered, voice so hoarse, he could only whisper. The switch came down hard on his back. He screamed. The tears had dried, but he could feel the new line of warm blood trickle down his back. 

_”I’ll heal you and then break you again, over and over. You’re going to be so lost that not even God will be able to find you.”_ Monty, in all his righteous glory, promised.

_”A real hell on earth then?”_ Wally had quipped, trying for a bravado he didn’t feel. 

At the time, he wasn’t sure if he’d dreamt that horrible promise. As he grew more lucid, he knew the conversation had happened. He knew his alpha body was on the fast track to healing, despite the constant, horrific pain that ebbed through his nerves.

“I’m your master, omega,” the warden said, not nearly as exhausted by this conversation that circled and circled with Wally refusing to call the stout man, master. The warden was strangely OCD; constantly wearing blue suits with a green striped tie. The hallways stunk of his cigar; a scent Wally usually found pleasant before this association.

Cigars and numbers were going into the same box he now reserved as his loathing zone. He never wanted to see a line of numbers longer than three or smell another cigar. 

“Not an omega,” Wally chuckle. The smile costed him. His lips cracked and blood wetted his taste buds. He constantly felt dizzy and twice now, fainted, something he’d never done before. 

Wally screamed when the switch came down on his back again. He hadn’t eaten in days and desperately needed water. The headache was always present now, maybe due to hitting his head back in the forest and again in the washroom when he tried to fight the bleach bath. He didn’t have the energy to stand upright, but that didn’t bother the warden.

_”You think Nigel and you have something special? Apex alphas always dominate subordinates with authority issues. After all, you did bend over for him, so apparently it worked, knot-boy.”_ Benedict said while the bleach had been poured over his head, getting into his eyes, mouth and wounds.

Those words rang so loud in his head. Had he misunderstood the situation? Nigel still went to LaRosa instead of the alpha clinic. _Because he didn’t want you to turn_ , his subconscious screamed.

“Shave his head and take him to the breeding room. I want him corked after being knotted. We’ll up that until our medic comes in,” the warden said.

Wally started laughing. It shouldn’t have been funny, but he tittered on the constant cusp of pure exhaustion and extreme adrenaline. “I’m never going to be an omega. You’re never going to get me to willingly submit.”

Two guards moved him from the awkward standing position to the wheelchair, which made everything worse. The vinyl stuck to his bloody back and the pressure in his hips made his low back ache from the heavy cast that didn’t have the proper prop. They wheeled him straight to a room where a man swept hair into a bucket. 

“Oh, he’s a pretty one,” the barber replied, leaning his broom and pan against the wall. He then came over and fingered Wally’s knotted strands. “Hasn’t been washed for a while, but it will make a beautiful wig for a child.”

Wally kept his mouth tightly shut. He couldn’t fight in this state, though the energy built up in him, the need to rebel, to shove people and break things. He was trapped. He couldn’t light a flame to the building and walk away while it burned. He couldn’t start a riot and trust he’d still come out on top because some of the other alphas present were more fucked up in the head than he’d ever want leashed out into the world or in a prison where he couldn’t run or fight to defend himself.

The man diligently buzzed his hair and while the barber was utterly fascinated with the thick blond mane, Wally felt disoriented. It wasn’t that all men of the Beetles Tribe let their hair grow long, but most of the notable warriors had thick hair, not shaved down to a few centimeters of hair on their skull. 

He looked almost bald with how blond the strains were this up close. His skull looked pink. 

The barber than gave him a close shave on his chin, underarms, legs and in the pelvis. It was humiliating to be cleaned so well.

“Don’t worry omega. As soon as your medications kick in, you won’t have the testosterone to grow hair in certain places.” The Barber misread his sigh as the man continued to shave the bit of hair on his chest. 

Like that, he was slowly stripped of his masculine features, though some of them would always remain. At least, Wally hoped so.


End file.
